SPOKANE, Wash. — In the fourth day of Hillyard’s water contamination, people living in the area said they were still adjusting to being unable to get water in their homes.
“We can’t drink the water, can’t use it to cook. We’re not even giving it to our pets,” said Cheryl Oberg, who lives on Olympic Ave.
Oberg and her family have lived in that home for 12 years. She said this is their first time experiencing anything like this.
“I don’t even want to bathe with it,” she said. “A rotten egg, that’s what I smelled every time I would run the water.”
She started going to her sister’s house to shower, who lives outside of Hillyard.
Like others in Hillyard, Oberg said she’s been going to the Hillyard post office, where the city is handing out bottled water.
Sarah Blume lives down the street from Oberg. Blume said she has also been picking up water from local grocery stores.
“We’re going through quite a few water bottles,” she said. “We’re a household of six.”
Blume’s son had open heart surgery and had just returned home on Sunday.
Blume said the contaminated water has made the situation more challenging for the family.
“I’m not leaving his bedside, so now I’ve had to rely on my neighbor to get the water for us,” she said.
It’s a situation for which she and the rest of neighborhood are hoping for a quick resolution.
“We don’t like it, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” Cheryl Oberg said.