‘You take it for granted’- family of nine struggles without clean water
Karen Rice is a mother of seven who has lived in Andrews her whole life; her household survives off bottled water and they use it for almost everything they do.
By Avery Johnson
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ANDREWS, Indiana (WFFT) — Karen Rice is a mother of seven who has lived in Andrews her whole life; her household survives off bottled water and they use it for almost everything they do.
She says the water crisis has taken a mental and financial toll on the whole family.
“We spend about $250 for water here at the house for flushing and showers and then we spend about another $150 a month for bottled water. We get it in the five-gallon jugs and then I have a pump that goes on top of it,” said Rice.
She uses this for all her cooking and drinking.
“It’s hard because you want to be able to turn your tap water on and drink it,” said Rice.
She says she also worries about showering in hot water because of the fumes, but they have no choice but to bathe in it.
She says she would move in a heartbeat if she could.
“We love the community but it’s just hard to deal with the price of water and the price of things nowadays,” said Rice.
Selling has never felt like an option for her.
“I couldn’t sell this place and not be honest with someone and say the water is drinkable,” said Rice.
She says this has impacted her kids mentally as well and they’re scared to drink the water no matter where they are.
“When we go anywhere they’re like, ‘Can we drink it, is it safe to drink?’ before they’ll even drink it. They worry about it wherever they go,” said Rice.
Her message to anyone watching is to value and be grateful for simple resources.
“You take it for granted. Even the showers, washing your hands, brushing your teeth,” said Rice.
Although Rice can squeeze an extra $150 a month into her budget to buy bottled water, she worries about other residents who can’t.
“I think of the ones who can’t afford to buy the bottled water, that have to drink it because they don’t have the money to go out and buy the bottled water. There’s got to be a lot of people here,” said Rice.
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