Some Rio Verde Foothills residents want Scottsdale to turn their water back on
Download mp3 (9.65 MB)On Jan. 1, the city of Scottsdale shut the water tap for the community of Rio Verde Foothills.
The community sits outside of Scottsdale city limits and is home to about 1,000 people. The city of Scottsdale had allowed private haulers to pay to bring water to the community but decided two years ago they wouldn’t be able to use Scottsdale’s water outside city limits.
On Wednesday, residents of Rio Verde gathered in protest at the Scottsdale City Council to demand a solution. Among the about 60 people in attendance was Meredith DeAngelis, an 11-year resident of Rio Verde Foothills who has been vocally opposed to the ending of water shipments. She talked to The Show about why.
The Show also reached out to the city of Scottsdale for their response. They provided a written statement that says the city has been a generous and accommodating neighbor for years and that Scottsdale has warned the citizens of Rio Verde for nearly a decade that the city cannot be responsible for the water needs of a separate community “especially given its unlimited and unregulated growth.”
The statement goes on to say that the city is now limited in what it can provide because of regional drought issues and calls on Maricopa County to “exercise its authority and responsibility to establish stable, long-term solutions that accommodate this growing community and ensure its self-sufficiency.”
