Residents of the Rio Verde Foothills community, which sits on the outskirts of Scottsdale, may finally have a temporary fix for their water woes.
"It's been, I would say, close to $700 a month... Just have enough water to, like, bathe the kids, do all my dishes and laundry," said Kaitlyn Raney, a Rio Verde Foothills resident.
Last week, Raney walked ABC15 through her Thursday routine, which includes meal-prepping for her husband and children.
"We can't afford to eat out and we're having to make some decisions at the grocery store," said Raney. "You can't waste food because water is so precious, so me meal-prepping and preparing for the weekend, actually cuts down how many times I'm turning on the water."
A short-term solution is now in the works for Rio Verde Foothills residents. The city of Scottsdale is considering entering into an agreement with Maricopa County.
Scottsdale's city council is set to vote on Tuesday, Feb. 21, and if adopted, the city would treat water through its plant. The second step is for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to sign on and handle things on the back end.
"On the beginning side of it... what kind of a deal can be done that's going to be between the city of Scottsdale and whoever's going to supply the water and how that's done," said Arizona State Rep. David Cook. "Then on the end, is going to be Maricopa County. Their responsibility will be from the standpipe on, which will be for the billing, water quality and things of that nature."
The agreement falls in line with Scottsdale's drought contingency plan. State Representative Cook says it won't cost the city one drop of water and it won't cost Scottsdale taxpayers a penny.
"I have always contended that the residents of the unincorporated area are the wards of the county," says Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega. "I was very grateful for the attorney general's opinion which confirmed that. So, we do not have direct responsibility to those residents."
ABC15 spoke with Cody Reim a few weeks ago and since then, he says things have only been getting harder for his family.
"We're not doing any laundry at our house so, all the laundry happens at my parents' house. And, when we're over there, or my wife is over there with the kids, then they all shower over there to save," said Reim.
He also had to get rid of his sheep.
Residents say they will continue having to make sacrifices like that until a solution takes effect, which could take another month.
"We just continue to lean on our neighbors; we've had people gift us water," said Raney.
