FORT TOTTEN – The Spirit Lake Tribal Council announced Wednesday, Aug. 20, that the permanent water filtration system is now fully operational on the Spirit Lake reservation, marking the successful conclusion of a three-month communitywide water emergency response.

With all three filtration cells back online and operating within safe regulatory standards, the water conservation notice is officially lifted, and residents may resume normal water usage, according to a release from the tribe. The milestone follows months of coordinated effort to address elevated manganese levels first detected in May 2025.

After the initial “Do Not Drink” advisory, Spirit Lake Nation implemented a temporary filtration system while awaiting delivery and installation of new greensand and anthracite media for the permanent filters. The temporary unit provided stability but at reduced capacity, requiring the tribe to call upon its Incident Command Team, neighboring tribes and partner agencies to supply bottled water and manage conservation measures.