SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It's been a long battle over water for an unincorporated neighborhood north of Scottsdale.
On Monday at 7 a.m., Rio Verde Foothills will again have access to water nearly a year after Scottsdale cut it off.
The plight of an estimated 500 households that rely on hauled water from a nearby standpipe has become a national symbol of Arizona's failure to manage development in the face of a shrinking water supply.
Local leaders have spent months scrambling to provide new accommodations to the community which ultimately resulted in new legislation signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs in June.
But, the City said in a news release Friday, that water won't be coming from the City's supply. Instead, Scottsdale "will receive and treat an additional allotment of CAP water, secured by the standpipe district through (Canadian-based water utility company) EPCOR, and provide it to haulers at the Pima Road Fill Station."
The City's agreement is with the district only and expires on Dec. 31, 2025.
“The good news is that the IGA with the Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe District complies with the Scottsdale Water requirement of being made whole with our water resources,” Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega said on Friday. “The bad news is that additional water trucks will resume traversing north Scottsdale. I am optimistic that EPCOR has the expertise to expeditiously complete the long-term solution, well ahead of the December 2025 deadline.”
A long, dry road
The roughly 500 homes that rely on hauled water have seen their water rates soar since the City of Scottsdale shut off water deliveries Jan. 1 to the water standpipe serving the foothills.
Before Jan. 1, haulers would fill their tanks with water at the standpipe and deliver it to homes. They now travel across the Valley to fill up with water.
Because of Arizona's long and record-breaking drought, Scottsdale decided it needed to conserve its own water. It wanted the City's water to be used by city residents and Rio Verde Foothills lies outside the city limits.
Scottsdale had given Rio Verde ample warning of its plan to cut water – an entire year.
Yet, when it happened, there was no plan in place.
That left residents and animal sanctuaries scrambling.
Rio Verde residents filed a lawsuit against the City of Scottsdale less than two weeks after the shutoff in an effort to get their water services restored.
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge sided with Scottsdale and denied a request for a temporary stay in the loss of water access.
Then in March, Scottsdale came forward with a proposal to resupply the unincorporated community with water. But Maricopa County rejected the proposal in part because there was no clear source of water for the plan and it would have significantly increased rates the City was charging Rio Verde residents without justification.
RELATED: Water dreams dashed: Scottsdale, Maricopa County gridlocked over Rio Verde Foothills' water crisis
In April, EPCOR applied to be the water provider for Rio Verde Foothills. The Arizona Corporation Commission heard days of testimony from EPCOR about its plans and the costs involved.
EPCOR representatives told the ACC their plan to provide water to Rio Verde Foothills would involve water from the Verde River, effectively from the Salt River Project.
However, EPCOR said constructing a new standpipe would likely cost between $6 and $10 million and would take years.
In May, the proposed HB2441 would have required cities to provide water through a "treat and transport" agreement to residences outside a city or town's water service area under qualifying circumstances. Those include if the city or town previously provided standpipe service to water haulers and then stopped because of drought management plans or if there is no other source of water within 10 miles.
Scottsdale asked Hobbs to veto it saying it would force it to violate its state-required Drought Management Plan and risks the "wellbeing and interests of Scottsdale residents and businesses."
She did.
RELATED: With time running out, Scottsdale mayor could stand in way of restoring water to Rio Verde Foothills
Water Wars
Catch up on the latest news and stories surrounding Arizona’s water crisis on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.
