Guest Editorial: Help Me Protect Scottsdale! Say NO to Councilwoman Whitehead’s “Toilet to Tap” Water Agenda

By Michelle Ugenti-Rita

Dear Scottsdale Neighbors,

Councilwoman Solange Whitehead wants to pump recycled toilet water directly into your tap.

While Scottsdale’s billion dollar tourism industry thrives on our image as a clean, luxurious desert paradise, Councilwoman Solange Whitehead is aggressively pushing one of the most controversial and risky water experiments in Arizona history: “Toilet to Tap.”

This isn’t science fiction folks. Solange has been the leading advocate for taking sewage water, “purifying” it and then piping it directly into our tap without it first being dispersed in a larger body of water, like an aquifer or river, which is what Scottsdale and cities all over the county do now. Less than a handful of places in the world, like Namibia and South Africa, currently utilize direct Toilet to Tap, and currently, no city in Arizona does “toilet to tap.” Solange doesn’t care that if something goes wrong with this unproven technology, sewage would be piped directly into your tap. Why? Because her focus is tied to making sure Scottsdale has enough water so she can continue to rubber-stamp high density apartment developments, like Axon’s 1,200 unit apartment complex.

Why This Should Concern Every Scottsdale Resident:

Health Risks: Until recently, there was a statewide prohibition against direct human consumption of recycled wastewater. As of now, ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality), the state agency tasked with establishing the rules, certifications, and regulations around toilet to tap, hasn’t finalized them even after years of work. Scottsdale would be the guinea pigs. Despite claims of “advanced purification”, many residents remain deeply skeptical about long-term health impacts from pharmaceuticals, forever chemicals, and contaminants that may not fully be eliminated. Do you want your family, especially children, those with medical conditions, and elderly residents, as the test subjects?

Massive Taxpayer Cost: Estimates for moving forward with this project run over $200+ million, money that could go toward roads, public safety, or preserving our neighborhoods instead of this unproven experiment. Additionally, this will no doubt result in water rates going up again for Scottsdale residents.

Tourism Killer: Visitors come here to enjoy the McDowell Mountain Preserve, our golf, resorts, dining, spas, and Scottsdale’s pristine reputation. Imagine the PR nightmare when word spreads that Scottsdale is forcing residents and tourists to drink treated sewage water pumped directly into our drinking supply. This could seriously damage our $3.7+ billion tourism industry.

This is part of a larger Progressive agenda. California Governor Gavin Newsom has been a vocal champion of “toilet to tap” policies, pushing aggressive statewide goals to recycle wastewater into drinking water. Colorado is also working overtime to implement toilet to tap.

Scottsdale deserves better.

We already have sophisticated water recycling for irrigation and aquifer recharge. We should focus on conservation, securing reliable external sources, and thoughtful growth — not rushing an expensive, controversial, and potentially dangerous direct potable reuse system (Toilet-to-Tap) that could jeopardize public trust and health.