Student finds black particles in Cokesbury tap water

A student recently found black particles in her Cokesbury Court apartment’s tap water.

Madisson Young, dance sophomore, posted a picture on Facebook Apr. 3 of a cup of water with a caption reading, “If you living/moving out of Cokesbury please check your tap water before drinking it because I just drank water filled with this black stuff…”

Young said she filled the cup with water in the evening and drank from it throughout the night but did not notice the particles until the next morning.

“I washed my hands and even took a shower that night without noticing anything,” Young said. “When I woke up the next morning, though, and looked inside the cup, the entire rim was black. I definitely drank a lot of whatever it was.”

Young said she continued to find black particles after letting the water run for a while.

“Maybe if I let it run before I ever tried using any, it wouldn’t have been so bad,” Young said. “I will say though, I used quite a bit of water that night and was still finding black specs collecting inside and around the rims of glasses, bowls and whatever other containers I was using.”

Casey Kreger, director of housing and residence life, responded to Young’s post, saying maintenance would come fix it after a work order was submitted.

Kreger said the particles may be caused by sediment buildup during maintenance.

“In Cokesbury specifically, in order to do any type of water repairs, all the water in the building gets shut down,” Kreger said. “When you turn that water back on, it can sometimes cause sediment or anything that can circulate throughout the pipes to make its way back to the line that connects to the apartments.”

Kreger said there is always a chance of these substances making their way through the system after repairs, but it is not a regular occurrence.

“It happens sometimes, but definitely not all the time,” Kreger said. “The most important thing is that students notice when it does happen and let us know, because we can easily send a plumber to flush out the lines and clear out any debris.”

Kreger said students who find particles in their water may let it run for a while to see if they clear out on their own or avoid using tap water completely until their work order is fulfilled.

“Water is a necessity, and it’s important to make sure it doesn’t have dirt or sediment when you’re using it for cooking and cleaning purposes,” Kreger said. “If a student feels that they are being put in any danger because of their water’s condition, we have emergency workers who can help.”

Kreger said it is important that students let housing know of any issues concerning their tap water.

“This doesn’t happen to every student, but if it’s happening in your apartment, there’s a good chance it’s happening in others’,” Kreger said.

Young said she did not place a work order due to technical issues with her School Dude account.

“I don’t know if I’m the only one, but whenever I try to submit work orders it just doesn’t work,” Young said.

Kreger said students should contact housing services if they are experiencing technical issues resulting in work orders not being placed.

“Reach out to us if there’s an issue with your account,” Kreger said. “Issues like that need to be resolved rather quickly, and we will gladly be of assistance and get you in touch with someone who can help.”

Young said she has reached out to housing officials about her housing difficulties in the past.

“I’ve contacted housing so many times, and they haven’t fixed it,” Young said. “That’s why I posted it to Facebook instead.”

Kreger said students may also speak to their resident assistant or call housing directly to submit work orders.

“We can manually submit work orders for you, while also being able to speak to you directly about technical issues and seeing what we can do to help,” Kreger said.

For questions, students can contact housing and residence life at 405-208-6363 or residencelife@okcu.edu.