The Rio Verde foothills water situation has been a warning to us all. Not just a harsh reminder of climate change and oncoming scarcity, but a nationwide call to arms that the entire southwest must heed.
On Tuesday, during a council meeting, Scottsdale unanimously voted to supply water to the Rio Verde Foothills residents. The decision was made for the water source to be on an interim basis, as a long-term solution is still yet to be determined.
The temporary agreement allows for two years of water supply with the potential for a third. City officials have yet to iron out a lot of the details regarding the proposal.
KTAR News reports that Thomas Galvin, Maricopa county supervisor, district 2 says:
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has not yet had an opportunity to discuss the document drafted by the City of Scottsdale. I anticipate, however, that my colleagues will share my concerns and questions about the proposed agreement, which will need to be discussed, addressed, and rectified, as part of a negotiation process, if the proposal is to move forward. The important items for discussion include: the source of the water, the calculation of the cost for the water and whether it is just and reasonable, and what are appropriate limitations on how the water to be secured by the proposed agreement is transported to Rio Verde Foothills residents
Since January first, Rio Verde residents have been cut off and left to acquire water via their own devices.
The Rio Verde Goothills sued Scottsdale over the cutoff last month and Judge Joan Sinclair voted in Scottsdale's favor leaving people in over 500 homes feeling hopeless. As of now, Scottsdale has a one-hundred-year water supply based on current use and population density. The ruling was decided in part, due to Rio Verde not being of Scottsdale municipality and Scottsdale choosing to protect its own interests in the preservation of a finite resource.
Let's hope that we can come up with a long-term solution for water for our state because, in 100 years, there might not be too much left of our aquifers, the Colorado River, and Lake Powell.
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