Guest Editoral: Hey Scottsdale, We’re Buying Water

By Betty Janik

At the June 23 Council meeting, Scottsdale is poised to purchase 15,000 acre-feet of long-term water storage credits for $8.25 M ($550/acre-ft) from the Vidler Water Company.  This equates to approximately 1 year’s worth of water for about 45,000 families (less than half our population) at a cost of $182 per family. The Harquahala Basin is the source of this water.  It is located about 60 miles west of Phoenix.  The Arizona Department of Water Resources recently made the water available for purchase.  The price of the water is very favorable.  However, there is a major issue that must be addressed before the water can be used – transport to the destination. There are two options.  The water must be treated to remove toxic arsenic and nitrates before it is allowed to enter CAP canal enroute to Scottsdale Water.  Or construction of a separate cross-valley pipe line for deliver to Scottsdale for treatment and distribution.  Both options are expensive and financing difficult.  The process would take about 3-5 years before actual water delivery to end point.

Previous stakeholders include two private Scottsdale golf courses (water rights purchased in 2013 @ $10m) and City of Scottsdale (water rights purchased in 2015 @ $3M). Recently Buckeye and Queen Creek have made purchases and now Scottsdale will be adding to the list.

While this purchase will help round out our water portfolio, it is NOT a replacement for Advanced Water Purification “PURE WATER” which could be available in less than 3 years as outlined and passed in the 2025-2030 CIP, and abruptly removed from the 2026-2027 budget.  Of significance, Pure Water is a renewable resource that keeps on giving, unlike Harquahala, a one and done resource.  WE ARE THE STATE LEADERS IN PURE WATER TECHNOLOGY!  Let’s proceed as originally approved.  PURE WATER is foundational for Scottsdale water resilience.

Betty Janik

Sonoran Sage