Associated Press

The Devils Lake outlet might not operate the rest of the year, and water quality in the Sheyenne River might continue to be a problem next fall, State Engineer Dale Frink says.

The outlet drains Devils Lake floodwater into the Sheyenne and ultimately into the Red River.

A state Health Department permit that governs its operation does not allow downstream water to exceed a certain amount of sulfate.

"The sulfate content seems to be up," Frink said Wednesday. He said the U.S. Geological Survey and the state Water Commission are trying to determine why, and think it might be related to increased discharge from ground water.

Frink said sulfate exists naturally in soil and ground water.

"They may be discharging a little more than normal" because of the wet weather in the region this summer, he said.

Frink said that when the Sheyenne's flows are lessened in late summer, sulfate content tends to increase. "It's something that we expected," he said. "It's something we'll just have to work around."

Frink said higher sulfate levels likely will only be a problem in the fall. "In the spring we're fairly confident we'll be able to operate the outlet," he said.

Testing of the outlet pumps and other equipment began in early August. Frink said the outlet was able to move water through its 14-mile channel on and off for only about 10 days. It has not been running the past few days, he said.

Devils Lake has risen more than 26 feet since 1992 and has tripled in size, flooding farmland and resulting in the relocation of homes and raising of roads and levees.