FORT TOTTEN, N.D. — The Spirit Lake Nation will be without drinkable tap water longer than expected, according to a spokeswoman.

The temporary filtration system needed to fix an elevated level of manganese in the tribe’s water was expected to arrive Thursday, June 5, or Friday, Spirit Lake spokeswoman Vicki Alberts told The Forum. Before residents can drink the water, the tribe must flush at least four million gallons of water through the system, she said.

“That’s going to take some time,” she said.

Tribal leaders had hoped residents could drink tap water by June 11, but that date has been pushed back to June 25, Alberts said.

Spirit Lake advised its residents to stop drinking tap water on May 27. Testing at the tribe’s water treatment plant on May 13 and 20 detected increased levels

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