NATION : Bid to Foul Old Faithful Water Fails
Tests of the vandalized Old Faithful water treatment plant found no contamination and visitors to Yellowstone National Park were told they could resume drinking the water, a park spokeswoman said today.
An Oregon man who allegedly was caught damaging the plant Sunday was still in jail at Mammoth, awaiting transportation to Cheyenne to face a federal criminal charge. “He’s still not talking so we don’t have a motive,” park spokeswoman Marsha Karle said. “The water was not contaminated so we’re turning all the drinking fountains back on.”
A ranger on routine patrol caught Michael J. Willett, 38, of Sumpter, Ore., damaging the equipment used to treat water for the Old Faithful area about 9 a.m. Sunday, Karle said. The damage was estimated at $10,000 to $25,000 and officials decided to ban water consumption in the popular area around Old Faithful Geyser in the west-central part of the park.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
