DALLAS COUNTY — You never realize how important something like running water is until you’re left high and dry. Believe it or not, residents in Sand Branch — tucked away in Southeast Dallas County — are living without running water or a sewer system.

For decades, they relied on well water, but construction has contaminated it, forcing them to use bottled water or rain water just to get by.

“I got barrels sitting outside my house, and when it rains it fills them up, and that`s what I use to flush my commode,” one resident told NewsFix.

Tuesday morning, Mark McPherson, an attorney representing the community met with over 10 federal and state agencies. McPherson wants to put an end to this long overdue drought and get running water and sewer services by November.

“There are a lot of new people at the table now. There are a lot of ideas and new sources of funds,” McPherson explained. “We have a long to-do list!”

Since Tuesday’s  meeting was closed off to the public, Sand Branch residents rallied outside.

“As we meet today, we want them to be reminded that the community is mobile now and we have more people climbing on board to help us,” one resident said.

Audrey Muhammad came all the way from Flint, Michigan when she heard about the water crisis.

“They don’t have safe drinking water like we don’t have in Flint, Michigan,” she explained. “We’ve only been without safe drinking water for two years, but here, they’ve been without it for 20 to 30 years plus.”

Here’s hoping Sand Branch community leaders stay on top of things, so residents can start looking at the glass half full.