Residents of Rio Verde Foothills have spent three months without a reliable source of water. The City of Scottsdale discontinued supplies earlier this year after decades of deliveries.
An unincorporated community, Rio Verde is governed by Maricopa County.
And on Friday, county supervisors rejected the city’s offer to restart services at triple the cost. The board criticized the plan as “bureaucratic and unworkable” and called on Scottsdale to work with EPCOR, the private power company, for a solution.
“EPCOR raised their hand and said we could provide the service. No other group, whether it be a tribe, another private water company, another municipality, said we could do it,” said Super. Visor’s Thomas Galvin said.
Galvin’s neighborhoods include Scottsdale and Rio Verde, and he’s trying to find common ground. However, the mayor has been adamantly opposed to any transaction involving EPCOR.
Supervisor Jack Sellers said it made sense for EPCOR to be part of the solution.
“To solve the water problem, using existing entities that are already in the business of supplying water seems like a sensible solution for the Rio Verde region and other areas affected by water scarcity. It seems,” Sellers said.
Scottsdale City Council members said the proposal was in the negotiation stage. But on Friday, several county officials said no one in the city responded to inquiries.
