Photos: Hope survives despite drought woes in East Porterville

The Porterville Area Coordination Council offers residents free bottled water. They can also pump water into multi-gallon totes to bring home.

Guillermina Andrade pours potable water into her toilet to flush it at her home in East Porterville. She hasn’t had running water in two years, she said.

Porterville resident Lonnie Willis, left, picks up bottled water at the Porterville Area Coordination Council’s Water Resource Center.

Donna Johnson, right, hugs Guillermina Andrade while delivering water with Ruben Perez to Andrade’s home.

Tomas Garcia has been without running water for the last two years. He gets by with a water tank in his front yard.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Gonzalo Martinez stores water in a tank in his frontyard.

Modesto de la Cruz sits with his 2 year-old daughter, Viviana, in front of their East Porterville home. The family has a water tank for taking showers and washing dishes, but not for drinking.

Many East Porterville residents have been forced to reply on portable showers since wells began running dry two years ago.

Efrain Tapia, left, and Caledonia Lopez converse in front of their homes in Porterville. Tapia and Lopez have running water in their homes, unlike residents of East Porterville.

East Porterville residents take in the evening air. State officials hope to build a municipal water system to restore running water to homes in the community.