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Tribe steps in ahead of pending water cutoff to 700 Rio Verde Foothills homes

The Rio Verde Foothills community faces a Jan. 1 deadline to secure a new water source.

RIO VERDE, Ariz — The Rio Verde Foothills, a wealthy community just north of Scottsdale, is weeks away from losing water access – but a tribe has stepped in and agreed to help. 

Homeowners on Friday learned The San Carlos Apache Tribe had reached a preliminary, one-year agreement with Dynamite Water Company to provide water for Rio Verde.

RELATED: Hundreds of homes in Rio Verde Foothills are about to lose water; they won't be the last

The City of Scottsdale announced in 2021 that it would no longer provide water to commercial companies hauling water to Rio Verde by the end of this year. 

Most of the Rio Verde Foothills community relies on commercial water companies to haul water to their homes.  

The tribe said it will lease up to 65 million gallons of its Central Arizona Project water allocation to Dynamite Water to help meet the immediate water needs of the community. 

Officials said a final agreement would require approvals from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe Council. 

"We now have a tangible plan in place to provide an immediate solution to a pending water cutoff to more than 700 Rio Verde homes by the end of the year," said Dynamite Water owner Damon Bruns. 

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