North Elementary re-opened after water incident last week
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 4 weeks AGO
North Elementary will re-open today after being closed last Wednesday due to sediment getting into the school's water pipes. The Grant County Health District and the Washington Department of Health conducted various tests on the water to ensure its safety before the Moses Lake School District decided to reopen the school.
R. HANS MILLER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
MOSES LAKE — North Elementary will be reopening for normal operations today after it was closed last Wednesday due to an issue with water quality caused by nearby work being conducted by the city of Moses Lake.
“School will be operational, on time, tomorrow morning and we are more than excited to be reopening North Elementary to our students, and I'm sure our families are elated, as well,” Moses Lake School District’s Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon said.
According to Shannon, the city has construction nearby, opened a fire hydrant and debris got into the water. Then, when teachers started to arrive at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, an unfamiliar smell had filled the building, which caused MLSD to make the decision to bus students to an alternative location.
The school remained closed throughout the rest of last week. Originally, the district thought they would be able to reopen the elementary school Thursday; however, the Grant County Health District and Washington Department of Health needed to conduct more tests to ensure the water was safe for the students. Shannon then told the Columbia Basin Herald; the school would be reopened Monday. However, because of continued testing, the school remained closed yesterday.
Health officials have now completed water testing as of Monday at 3 p.m. and confirmed that chlorine levels and all other results are within the normal range. With these assurances, Shannon said the district will be reopening North Elementary for normal operations Tuesday.
“We will have bottled water and a gallon of water on site, but the water is safe and for consumption,” Shannon said. “There will be from time to time, crews going to go back in at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning just to continue to do a flush of the system, because after the water sits there for a little bit, we do get a little bit of that discoloration, but it is literally just a discoloration. There is nothing wrong with the water, and it is good to go.”
ARTICLES BY NANCE BESTON
Mayor Peter Sharp takes oath of office
SOAP LAKE – Grant County Commissioner Kevin Burgess adminstered the oath of office to Mayor Peter Sharp Wednesday. Sharp was previously appointed to this role at the Sept. 18, 2024, council meeting after his predecessor Allen DuPay quit during the Aug. 7, 2024, meeting.
Newhouse, colleagues introduce infrastructure bill
WASHINGTON D.C. — On November 21, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced the Urban Canal Modernization Act, HR 6279, aimed at addressing the deteriorating condition of urban canal infrastructure across the country. This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dan Newhouse, R-WA; Mike Simpson, R-ID; Adam Gray, D-CA; and Russ Fulcher, R-ID focuses on providing federal support for the extraordinary operation and maintenance of urban canals deemed to be at significant risk of failure. “As communities in Grant County and elsewhere face serious risks from aging canal systems, it is imperative that we act now to ensure vital water infrastructure is maintained and upgraded,” Newhouse wrote in a statement. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s canals are in dire need of repairs, and the surrounding communities who rely on them would be at risk if they were to fail. This legislation provides local authorities with additional resources to manage these critical pieces of infrastructure while protecting the people and property around canals of concern.”
Ephrata water tower waiting for final tests
EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata is still waiting for the final testing to come back to the water tower. The city had originally hoped the tower would be connected to the water system by Thanksgiving; however, the intensive water testing is taking longer than anticipated.