RIO VERDE FOOTHILLS, AZ — After years of uncertainty over their water supply, Rio Verde Foothills residents have a permanent solution as of Thursday.
EPCOR Utilities Inc. opened its new water filling station off 176th Street on New Year's Day.
Damon Bruns of Dynamite Water LLC was the first user of the new system on Thursday morning.
“People are…very relieved to have a secure water source now for years and years to come,” Bruns said.
The community northeast of Scottsdale was cut off by the city in 2023, after being warned for years that this could happen under a drought contingency plan.
Since then, EPCOR stepped in to temporarily provide water until their permanent solution was finished.
"Promise made, promise kept," said Shawn Bradford, Senior Vice President of Regulated US Water for EPCOR. "We were asked to step in and solve the water challenge facing Rio Verde Foothills. We assured the community we would deliver a permanent water solution, and we did.”
Local John Hornewer has lived in the community since 1999 and brings water in trucks to hundreds of homes in the community through his business, Rio Verde Water.
"We're in a remote area. There's no infrastructure here, so the water either has to come from a truck or it has to come from the ground,” Hornewer said. "Water shouldn't be a luxury. It is a basic necessity. It should be something that everybody has access to.”
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Karen Nabity said she is concerned about the utility and water-hauling costs.
“It's great that we have water, but the cost is outrageous,” Nabity said. “If they use 6,000 gallons a month, they'll be paying with the cost of water and hauling, they will be paying $6,400 a year.”
The utility’s prices are regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission. The utility will look into the true cost of operations before applying for future adjustments.
“All of those hard costs we’ll be looking at reconciling that against hookup fees that were brought in those sorts of things,” EPCOR Strategic Manager Rebecca Stenholm said. “We expect to be pretty, pretty close to where we were when we started this whole project."
Residents will need a customer account and access code to get into the water station.
See some of our previous coverage on years of Rio Verde water concerns in the links below:
- Rio Verde Foothills residents voice urgent water needs to state leaders
- Governor signs legislation to restore water to Rio Verde Foothills
- City of Scottsdale to provide water for transport to residents in the Rio Verde Foothills area
- Governor Katie Hobbs vetoes HB2441, further impacting Rio Verde Foothills water supply
- Amid water crisis, Rio Verde Foothills home values drop
