The community of Stebbins has been experiencing an ongoing “water crisis” since the community’s water line froze in late November.
City Administrator Nora Tom said an alternative to using the frozen water line, is to use trucks with 2,000 gallon tanks to haul water from the local lake about five miles outside of town. Currently Stebbins’ two water trucks are in need of repair, but Tom hopes they will be running by the end of the week.
One concerned citizen said water use at the community’s washateria is being restricted so people in Stebbins cannot take showers right now and instead must travel to St. Michael. Stebbins’ remaining water supply is limited and Tom said if the situation continues without change, the community will be completely out of water by the end of December.
While the water line is frozen, Stebbins will rely on hauling water to the washateria so residents can continue to wash their clothes, take showers and drink water, but it is unclear how much water this will provide and for how long it can be sustained.