East Porterville residents now have safe, reliable water

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KFSN) -- In East Porterville, water is no longer a luxury. A limited supply held in tanks have been replaced by permanent underground lines.

For years, families in the unincorporated community had to carefully budget their resources. It began at the start of California's five-year drought when hundreds of residential wells became dry and contaminated.

For a while, the state delivered bottled water but the monthly price tag was too high. Officials decided to begin construction on a long-term project, hooking up homes in East Porterville to the city of Porterville's municipal system.

Since early 2016, more than 700 homes have hooked up to Porterville's water system, the last of the lines were put in this month.

State officials say this long-term solution should protect families from future droughts.