By Sasha Hupka || The Arizona Republic
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge won’t force Scottsdale to resume sending water to Rio Verde Foothills, saying the community’s ongoing water issues aren’t for the court to solve.
Judge Joan Sinclair wrote in her order, released over the weekend, that Rio Verde Foothills residents hadn’t proven “irreparable harm” and that governmental stakeholders should take charge to fix homeowners’ water woes.
“Water is life in Arizona,” Sinclair wrote. “The court appreciates the difficulties inherent in allocating dwindling water resources between competing claimants. This is a function of governmental leaders and entities. This court cannot, and should not, make water policy decisions in lieu of the appropriate authorities.”
Her ruling marks the latest development in the ongoing battle over how to solve the crisis in Rio Verde Foothills, which is near Scottsdale city limits but falls outside its boundaries as an unincorporated area of Maricopa County.
