By Hunter Bassler | 12 News Phoenix
PHOENIX — Just when a solution was on the horizon, it looks like the residents of Rio Verde Foothills will have to keep waiting for water.
Scottsdale recently came forward with a proposal to resupply the unincorporated community with water after cutting residents off at the beginning of the year.
Maricopa County rejected the proposal on Friday, calling it “impractical, inefficient, and overly burdensome.”
“Cutting off water is absolutely atrocious and is a black mark in the history of Arizona,” said county supervisor Thomas Galvin of District 2, which includes Rio Verde Foothills. “What we’re all sick of is publicity stunts from David Ortega, false information from Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega, and his inability to help these folks find a source of water.”
Why did Maricopa County reject Scottsdale’s Rio Verde Foothills water plan?
The board listed numerous points they saw as problems with Scottsdale’s proposal, including:
• Scottsdale hasn’t identified a source of water for its plan
•The city limits water distribution to a certain amount of acre-feet per year, but the city will be allowed to purchase many more acre-feet per year not available to Rio Verde Foothills residents
•The city would significantly increase the rates it’s charging to Rio Verde Foothills without justification
•Scottsdale would only allow water to be sold to commercial water haulers and wouldn’t allow residents to haul water themselves
• The city wouldn’t supply newly constructed Rio Verde Foothills homes with water, even though the county can’t enforce a water delivery moratorium
The board has allegedly asked Scottsdale numerous times for answers to these questions. Scottsdale has reportedly not provided answers.
Scottsdale’s mayor isn’t sure where Rio Verde Foothills’ water would come from
Brahm Resnik asked Ortega directly about where the city is getting the water for its Rio Verde Foothills proposal on a recent Sunday Square Off.
Ortega originally said the city would purchase water from the Gila River Indian Community, but retracted that statement after the tribe told 12News it wouldn’t provide any water to Scottsdale.
Ortega then told 12News that the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) would provide the water. He then walked back that statement after the leader of CRIT told 12News said she couldn’t supply water to the city.
A Scottsdale spokesperson then provided a seemingly definitive answer: “The source of the water has not yet been determined.”
“If there’s a plan without water, then it’s not a plan,” Galvin said.
