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City utilities worker Emilio Cabrera responds Tuesday to a problem with a 2-inch water service line that burst on El Paseo Road near Wyatt Drive, most likely from last week's frigid temperatures.

LAS CRUCES - It's day seven since the arctic chill that froze pipes and depleted reservoirs, and a too-large swath of Las Cruces remains without water.

Sunland Park lifted its water-use restrictions at 5 p.m. Tuesday, but said residents should still boil their water or get potable water from the fire complex there. Five trailers at Dove Canyon Mobile Home Park, in Mesilla Park, went without water for five days, residents say. Four miles and two highways away, it took until Tuesday afternoon for water to be restored at the 292-unit Park Place Apartments, next to Memorial Medical Center. There, residents relied for several days on Porta-Potties and were even encouraged to use swimming pool water to flush their toilets.

"It went off Thursday at 3 (p.m.) ... just a little bit over half of the complex went on yesterday (Monday)," said manager Rhonda Berryman. "I don't have time to mess with this. I've got residents I need to get water to. I don't have time to be on the phone. My phones are ringing off the hook."

Conditions were even worse at Woodcrest Apartment Homes, on Entrada del Sol, and at Alameda Acres Mobile Home Park, on 3 Crosses Avenue. Residents at both said they remained without water into Tuesday evening.

"Tuesday night (last week) at 8:30, the whole park didn't have water," Marisol Martinez said. "Not even a drip."

"Today would have been seven days," said neighbor Mary Hernandez, who is taking care of four grandchildren and managed Tuesday to get a

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water-pistol's worth of water spitting from her sink and shower. "And when you've got kids? Girl, I've got one with autism and she will not go to school without brushing up her teeth (a certain way). That's her. You just can't throw her off track."

Martinez and Hernandez read about the city opening up water service to three trailer parks in town and are now hoping they can petition to do the same.

One neighbor who regained water Tuesday allowed Hector and Marisol Martinez to hook up a garden hose from an outdoor pipe to get water to their single-wide on Tuesday. It was a welcome change, they said, and allowed them to finally wash a load of clothing for themselves and their two small sons - one of whom they gave a bath in the sink, to save water. As for Hernandez, family in Mesilla Park and Do-a Ana was bringing her gallons of water during the outage, which she said was "fantastic."

Both families honed their survival skills during the outage.

"We didn't flush the toilet unless we really need to," Martinez said delicately. "Unless someone really has to go 'number two.'"

Thanks to their grit and their network of neighbors, they've been keeping a happy face for their children, as was evidenced when Hernandez turned on the single, tiny stream of shower she had Tuesday afternoon.

"It's doing good right now! You just jump around in the shower until you get wet," she joked. "I guess it's because of the way we were raised. We need to keep our cool. I've learned not to break down in front of the kids."

Eric Lopez, the city's interim water resources administrator, wasn't immediately available Tuesday to talk about how the park might go about fighting to get hooked up to city water, but the two families say they will be fighting for that in the coming days. And, they said, while it's been a hardship, the experience has given them some extra appreciation for the little things.

"I got up, took the kids to school today, at 8 a.m. I got back and cleaned the sand (from the well water) out of the tub with extra water," Hernandez said. "I turned the hot water on at 8:05 and I waited. It took until 10:15 to get halfway (full). That's terrible! But oh, ... It felt so fine."

Ashley Meeks can be reached at (575) 541-5462.