The process of bringing running water to over 700 homes in East Porterville is now complete. The State Department of Water Resources made the announcement today, bringing an end to a saga that gained national attention during California’s most recent drought. Hundreds of homes in the unincorporated area east of the City of Porterville had their private wells go dry during the drought. Many residents were forced to turn to bottled water, or water delivered to their homes by trucks.
In response the state helped fund a $48 million project to connect the homes to the City of Porterville's municipal water system. The first homes came online with water in August 2016, and since then a total of 755 have been added to the service. The state says while the connections are now complete, some construction will continue to support the service throughout 2018.
