PHOENIX — The clock is ticking on Rio Verde Foothills’ current water supply.
Wednesday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is set to make a decision that could lead to at least a partial solution for the eastern-county community.
After a two-hour public hearing Monday, the board unanimously decided to postpone action until a Wednesday meeting. The board is set to meet at 9:30 a.m. in the county board chambers on West Jefferson Street in downtown Phoenix.
Monday afternoon, the board released a statement about the hearing and postponed vote. The board is set to vote Wednesday on e on one proposed solution for Rio Verde: the formation of a domestic water improvement district.
The county board is not allowed to make itself a water entity, nor to vote down potential development based on estimates of available water.
However, the board does vote on formations of special taxation districts.
Jeff Crockett is the attorney representing petitioners hoping to approve the DWID formation. He spoke near the beginning of Monday’s hearing in favor of the formation of the water district.
“As you know, the City of Scottsdale will close the standpipe, to residents of Rio Verde Foothills, just over 4 months from now,” Crockett said. “The DWID didn’t start as the answer, but it became that. The residents want outside water, legally obligated for 100 years, and want to contract with a Harquahala Valley company that does that. It would be pumped into Scottsdale’s Central Arizona Project allocation, treated and pumped through the standpipe to the DWID.”
The newly formed district would levy taxes and fees on Rio Verde Foothills residents who sign up for water service. However, alternatives could cost residents even more.
Opponents’ concerns seemed centered on the district’s ability to come up with real solutions. Several opponents of the district spoke about a letter from EPCOR that mentioned how that water association could provide at least a temporary solution by drilling at least one new well into the aquifer.
While this option might have a potentially high cost, according to resident Debbie Catone, might have the experience and collective skill set needed to navigate what promises to be a complex set of logistical and legal challenges for anyone involved.
“Nineteen years ago, I was worried about water, and I lost my home to water in Hurricane Katrina,” Catone told the board. “Now, I have the opposite problem. I was one of those who bought from Morgan Taylor ... they’re giving misinformation out ... the ladies organizing the DWID have done a great job, but they’re not an entity that has dealt with a public utility. EPCOR is. And they can solve this at a quicker pace than I think a new DWID could do.”
Supervisor Tom Galvin, who is seeking a full term as District 2 Supervisor in November after being appointed by the rest of the board, represents Rio Verde Foothills. Monday, he said he learns something new about water situations from each person who speaks with him about the water situation there — no matter which solution they support.
Galvin released a written statement after Monday’s meeting,
“I appreciate the testimony today from community residents. It was informative”, Galvin said. “ “My focus continues to be finding a sustainable long-term water solution for the area.”
Since the Rio Verde Foothills is unincorporated, residents don’t automatically get water service from a city or town. Some residents have wells. Some use private utilities. Others rely on hauled water, much of which comes from the City of Scottsdale.
Scottsdale’s current drought management plan calls for an end of water service to those outside city limits starting in December of this year.
“The question before the board is narrow: whether or not to approve the proposed formation of a DWID,” said Galvin in the statement. “I’m grateful to my colleagues for allowing me the time to research this issue fully, seek public input, and work with other governmental entities such as the Arizona Corporation Commission. The board’s vote on a proposed DWID is the next step in the process.”
Jason W. Brooks is a News editor for the Daily Independent and the Chandler Independent.
He covers the Chandler area for both yourvalley.net and the monthly print edition while writing for and assisting in the production of the Daily Independent.
Brooks is a well-traveled journalist who has documented life in small American communities in nearly all U.S. time zones.
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised there and in suburban Los Angeles, he has covered community news in California, New Mexico, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and northern Arizona.
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