By Maggie Callaghan, Senior Staff Writer
Sophomore Allie Archambault had heard the stories of brown water coming out of faucets and seen the news coverage of sick children. But for her, it's different. She is directly affected by the crisis in Flint, Michigan.
The water crisis in Flint hits close to home for Archambault. Not only is she from Michigan, but her grandparents are from Flint and have many friends who still live there. Since Jan. 5, when Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in Michigan, Archambault's grandparents and friends have grown worrisome of the condition and health for the people of Flint.
"People are just so aggravated with all the different reports, and it's like, we can't get a straight answer as to how this happened," said Archambault.
In a move to cut costs, city officials in Flint made the decision in April 2014 to switch the water source from Lake Huron, which goes to the people in Detroit, to the Flint River. However, water from the river was not accurately purified and according to the Department for Environmental Quality in Michigan, the water was not being treated with an anti-corrosive agent, which allowed lead to seep into the water.
Oxford city officials emphasize the fact that groundwater, suchs as the wells in Oxford or the river in Flint, must be carefully treated through a natural process, which can take up to five years, and a chemical process to ensure that the water is safe for the public.
"The iron and manganese are removed during Oxford's water treatment process which includes aeration, chemical oxidation and filtration," said David Weihrauch, an Oxford city water official. "Chlorine and fluoride are also added to the water as it is pumped to the city's water distribution system."
In the Oxford City Water Quality report of 2013, lead is specifically mentioned as a contamination problem which can be caused from pipe lines and home plumbing. However, that does not appear to be the issue in Flint. Due to budget cuts, the water was not properly treated with certain chemicals.
Many residents of Flint have become frustrated as it was confirmed that city officials and the EPA knew about the contamination, yet did not warn citizens or actively try to solve the problem. It was not until January of 2016, almost two years after the first complaints were filed about the water quality, when city officials began to warn of the contamination and residence started to receive purified water.
The government in Michigan, particularly Governor Synder and Flint's emergency manager Darnell Early, have come under major scrutiny for their lack of leadership and response to the crisis. Many are calling for the governor to step down from office. Students from the area seem to agree, noting that city and state officials were too concerned about saving money, at the expense of the citizens they are meant to serve.
"When Darnell Early and Governor Snyder denied the severity of the issue and claimed it would be 'fixed' it only became progressively worse," said first-year Grant Golke, "The government has full discretion over the water system and must be reprimanded accordingly for their injustice."
With a growing level of mistrust between citizens and government officials, the one thing citizens can count on are each other. A huge wave of donations have flooded the city and celebrities such as Beyoncé have donated their own money in order to buy purified water. But many of the heroes are those who live there, like Archambault's grandparents, who have donated their time to providing clean water for their friends and neighbors.
"I personally have been very impressed with the citizens' support," Archambault said. "There was a fundraiser, like the ice bucket challenge, by law firms that would donate 30 cases of water [then] challenge others to do the same within 24 hours."
The situation in Flint has started a national conversation about the water quality in towns and how water is being trates. But Oxford officials are confident that our water is safe. The city follows strict state and federal mandates which require officials to test the water multiple times a day and then conduct larger tests throughout the year. Weihrauch suggests the lead contamination that occurred in Flint is extremely rare, especially to that extent.
The growing conversation over water quality has made students more aware of the purity of the water they use every day.
"Here in Oxford, it has made me more attentive to the water quality reports and lead levels in water and around campus," said Golke.