Montana water plant reopens after Yellowstone flooding

The water treatment plant for Billings, Mont., reopened Thursday after briefly closing due to floodwaters that tore apart roadways and bridges and raised the Yellowstone River to historic levels. Officials had asked residents to conserve water because the city’s supply had dwindled to 24-36 hours’ worth. While acknowledging that the announcement of a water shortage caused panic, officials claimed the situation was unprecedented and they had no idea how long it would continue.

Is the park reopening soon? Yellowstone National Park has shut down for the week. Officials are hoping to reopen the southern half of the park next week, but the northern half will likely remain closed all summer. This deals a devastating blow to the local economy, which relies on tourism. The floods also destroyed millions of dollars worth of property and structures in those same communities. The number of reported injuries and deaths is still zero.

Dig deeper: Read Marty VanDriel’s review of a recent Netflix docuseries on national parks around the world.