Sasha Hupka
Arizona Republic
When Rose Carroll bought a home and acreage in Rio Verde Foothills about 2½ years ago, she knew her new property came with a long-defunct well.
It spewed water that looked like chocolate milk, so dirty it was unusable.
Carroll didn’t think much of it. She had water hauled in, and she was able to use her land to start the Hangry Donkey Sanctuary, a nonprofit with a shoestring budget. She took in donkeys that had been abused and neglected, adopting some out to new homes and keeping the others.
But then, at the start of the year, Scottsdale cut off her water supply, citing concerns over ongoing drought conditions on the Colorado River.
Ever since, Carroll has gotten creative. She adopted out some of her donkeys. She set up a donation portal so that supporters of the sanctuary could help. And she assembled a water filtration system to make her dirty well water usable. That brings her most recent hauled water bills to about $1,200 each month.
“That’s kind of saved me so far,” she said. “I can get maybe about 800 gallons a week.”
Carroll said she can see the light at the end of the tunnel. She and her neighbors found a glimmer of hope when Gov. Katie Hobbs on June 19 signed Senate Bill 1432, which creates a new type of governmental entity, called a standpipe district, with the power to enter into agreements to get water to the Foothills.
Lawmakers were quick to declare victory in a joint statement. Hobbs, a Democrat, said she was happy to “deliv-
er relief” for Rio Verde Foothills residents. Republican Rep. Alexander Kolodin, who represents the Rio Verde Foothills area and wrote the legislation, declared that “the era of kicking the can down the road is over.”
