For the first time, more than 50 people in Southeast Travis County now have running water in their homes.
The water will be turned on at 10 homes in the Plover Place neighborhood.
Resident Mike Rodriguez has been waiting for the day he doesn't have to rely on a tank to get his running water. Getting water in the house became more difficult than putting food on the table.
"It's kinda' hard because I had to come from work, then go to a pump, sometimes on my knees and get water," Rodriguez said.
Plover Place is described as a modern-day “colonia.” Residents are mostly low-income and Hispanic. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines a colonia as "rural communities and neighborhoods located within 150 miles of the U.S.-Mexican border that lack adequate infrastructure and frequently also lack other basic services."
"It's frustrating for everyone involved, especially for the residents because here they are 11 miles from the Governor's mansion still living in a colonia. That shouldn't be happening in Travis County. Actually, that shouldn't be happening anywhere," Joe Vela of the Travis County Commissioner's Office said.
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Turning on the tap
Ten homes now have running water thanks to a grant from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
 
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Employees of Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gomez applied for a grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The agency awarded the county more than $185,000 to build pipes for running water.
Vela said it hasn't been easy.
"We had obstacles because it was going to cost us a lot more. [We] got in with the city of Austin, helped us out quite a bit. So we basically got in a venture with city of Austin. It's taken five years almost, but they're getting their running water," Vela said.
Rodriguez said he couldn’t believe he has lived so long without water.
"The country is so rich, I think we don't have no business living like this - without water or nothing - but you know, they could help. We're taxpayers, I pay my taxes, I have a right to speak. It's not a good way to live like this, I would say, not in America," Rodriguez said.
The project has been a high priority for Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gomez.
Later this month, she will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Plover Place.
