Warm Springs Water Crisis Continues

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (AP) – Schools, businesses and homeowners in Warm Springs, Oregon, are into their second week of a water crisis that is forcing residents to boil water before consumption, the most recent in a string of water problems plaguing the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.

The Bulletin reports a boil water notice initiated on May 30 remains in effect until further notice, due to loss of pressure in the distribution system.

The tribal council was expected to address the issue in meetings earlier this week, but results have not been announced.

Warm Springs – one of Oregon’s poorest communities with poverty rates double the state average – has struggled to maintain its infrastructure, create jobs and provide affordable housing. Access to clean and safe drinking water also compounds a health crisis in an area suffering from soaring rates of diabetes and cancer.