RIO VERDE FOOTHILLS, AZ — Work is still being done to bring water back to Rio Verde Foothills. While the legislation was passed in June, the process takes time.
"The community has really come together this summer to help neighbors out, to make sure that everybody's covered. The water haulers have done a phenomenal job of making sure that they're able to still keep this community going," said Meredith DeAngelis, chair of the Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe District board.
The unincorporated area was cut off from Scottsdale's water supply on January 1 due to the city's drought contingency plan. A new law, that passed months later, required the creation of a standpipe district.
Meredith DeAngelis is chair of the board and one of five members who were elected by the state to provide a temporary water solution to residents wishing to be part of the district. This would happen through an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the City of Scottsdale and a third-party water source.
"One of the reasons why some of the steps sometimes seem to be taking longer... is we're just making sure that we're doing our due diligence to get the best price, to think through all of the costs, to work through what all those costs look like," said DeAngelis.
Representative Alex Kolodin authored the amendment that helped make this all possible and showed ABC15 how things are coming along.
"Epcor has officially now offered to provide water at probably what is the most attractive rate that you can get in Arizona," said Rep. Alex Kolodin.
The board has legal counsel helping them with their negotiations with Scottsdale. Kolodin says a draft IGA has been exchanged and they are working through the final language.
"Once the contract is put in place, it's really the mechanism the contract provides... there's nothing stopping them from flipping the switch the next day or within a couple of days and getting that water flowing," said Kolodin.
In the meantime, residents are still waiting for water. But, even through the extreme heat, they remain optimistic.
"The support that this board has gotten from the community has just been really encouraging. I mean, I really feel like it's time for this community to heal," said DeAngelis.
To learn more about the district and past or future meetings, click here.
