Scottsdale Cuts Water Supply to Nearby Suburb

Writing in the Washington Post, Joshua Partlow reports that “On Jan. 1, the city of Scottsdale, which gets the majority of its water from the Colorado River, cut off Rio Verde Foothills from the municipal water supply that it has relied on for decades. The result is a disorienting and frightening lack of certainty about how residents will find enough water as their tanks run down in coming weeks, with a bitter political feud impacting possible solutions.”

Aware of Scottsdale’s power to shut off supplies, some in the unincorporated Maricopa County community attempted to create their own water district, a decision blocked by the county. Meanwhile, a lawsuit seeks an injunction against the city to force it to continue providing water to Rio Verde. Scottsdale officials say eliminating service to communities outside city limits is necessary to meeting its water conservation goals.

As the legal battles rage on, residents are going to extremes to conserve and water prices are skyrocketing in the face of an uncertain future. According to one private water hauler who now has to travel 45 miles from Rio Verde to fill his truck, “In two months, it’s not going to matter how much money you have. In two months, it’s going to be: You’re going to get your allocation, your ration of water: use it wisely.”