Bismarck Tribune

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LAUREN DONOVAN

Among things in life that are out of control is the smell of water - at least in Garrison.

Water users both in town and out of town are noticing the water has a distinct odor, and it sounds like the problem might persist for a while.

Garrison city supervisor Alan Beyreis said he thinks the odor is the result of algae, but the real culprit is the low water level on Lake Sakakawea.

There is only about 25 feet of water over the city water intake pipe and the water this year is unusually warm, hovering at 70 degrees and certainly warm enough to encourage algae to bloom.

Beyreis said wind direction also plays a part, causing sediment to enter the intake.

He said when the big lake starts to cool down and turns over - that is, when the cold water heads down to the lake bottom - the problem should go away.

He said beyond odor the water is fine and meets drinking water standards set by the State Health Department.

Quality tests are conducted daily.

"We have a very good product," he said.

He said the odor problem will be monitored and necessary steps will be taken if it persists.

"It will come with a cost and we have lots of costs already," Beyreis said. He said the biggest problem now is maintaining water supply from the lake and making those structural improvements.

- McLean County Independent

Whoopsie daisy

Residents of an assisted living facility in Watford City were abruptly evacuated recently.

One of the home's residents backed into the building midmorning and then pulled forward, hitting the building again on a different side.

The second collision had more force than the first, rupturing through brick walls and severing a sprinkling system.

The severed sprinkler set off an alarm at the nursing home, where some staff ran over to help and another remained to call 911.

Kris Pacheco, administrator, said all the residents were evacuated with the idea of finding temporary housing.

But the facility's maintenance employee said the units were wired separately, and undamaged units could remain occupied.

The residents were all back home by suppertime, except for two.

One of them will have to wait until some water-damaged carpet can be replaced, and the other occupied a unit that took the worst of the structural damage and repairs may take two weeks.

The resident who struck the building sustained about $5,000 damage to her car and, fortunately, was not injured.

Police were waiting for the driver's medical records to see what may have caused her erratic driving.

- McKenzie County Farmer

Sunshine up north

Seems this year's dry weather pattern had a good effect in the northern tier of the state, based on reports from northwestern Divide County, clear over to Rolette County.

Farmers who normally worry about scab and other moisture-related diseases found themselves with a better than average quality crop on their hands.

Lynn Michelson, who's managed the Crosby elevator for the past 11 years, said the 2006 durum crop was the best quality year yet.

He said protein - an all-important ingredient in the durum kernels - ranged from 11 percent to 18 percent, making it a simple equation to average the preferred 13 percent coveted for durum wheat products.

Rainfall did have to fall in the right quantity for yield, though, and those more blessed than others saw up to 30 bushels an acre.

The best yields came from the western side of Burke County, as opposed to the east side.

"They were coming in expecting 10 bushels and they're getting 20 to 25," said Dana Hoheisel, manager of Sun Prairie Grain in Bowbells.

Overall, he's hearing of yields from 15 to 45 bushels an acre, though 25 is probably an accurate average.

Divide County agent Keith Brown said he was amazed that the crop test weight held up, despite the lack of significant moisture after the month of June.

"It's not the crop it looked like we were going to have," Brown said. "Yield and quality was really better than we expected."

Now, if prices would just rebound.

Last week wheat fell back to $4.05 a bushel from $4.20, but there's hope it'll pop back up after the harvest pressure is off the market.

- The Journal