Rio Verde Foothills faces another delay getting their water supply flowing again

By Jill Ryan
Published: Friday, March 10, 2023 - 9:42am

Rio Verde Foothills homeowner Meredith DeAngelis
Phil Latzman/KJZZ
Rio Verde Foothills homeowner Meredith DeAngelis points to her water tank in 2022.

Restoring the water supply to the unincorporated Rio Verde Foothills community has hit another hurdle. A bill in the Arizona House that was designed to get water flowing again by using a third party provider and Scottsdale infrastructure has failed. 

Rep. David Cook (R-Globe), who voted to pass the bill, says the problem is there’s a clash between Scottsdale and Maricopa County.

“The county is trying to tell the City of Scottsdale where they must purchase water from. That’s what it’s about,” Cook said.  “The City of Scottsdale is willing to help those people but they want to do business with people they already do business with.”

Earlier this month, county supervisors rejected a city proposal to resume service at triple the cost. They urged Scottsdale to work with a private utility for a solution.

The bill is expected to be reworked and considered for another vote in the next two weeks.

Politics Water