NATION : Bid to Foul Old Faithful Water Fails
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OLD FAITHFUL, Wyo. — 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.
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