By Betty Janik Now We know The wait is over. The Interior Department announced Arizona will receive a CAP water cut of about 31% over the next 2 years. This was expected. We have reserves to tap into as needed. Now we must look to the future. Steps are available to secure our water future. Conservation is the easiest. It’s … Read More
Lake Powell and Lake Mead Warning of the Day of Reckoning for Scottsdale
Lake Powell and Lake Mead both hit record lows this month, and the numbers are hard to shrug off. These dynamics are the biggest threat to Scottsdale in its history. Powell has dropped more than 20 feet since the start of the year and is now just 30 feet from the point where its hydroelectric turbines stop working altogether. … Read More
Guest Editorial: Steady Water Management, Not Campaign Rhetoric
By Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield Scottsdale residents deserve the real facts about our water future, not cherry-picked claims timed for an election. Councilwoman Solange Whitehead’s recent opinion piece attempts to cast doubt on the city’s water security to promote her preferred council candidate. The facts reveal a different picture. Scottsdale Water has planned for a possible drought for decades, carefully managing … Read More
Your Scottsdale Water Update: Higher Water Bills are Coming to Phoenix, is Scottsdale Next?
By Vanessa Rogers Phoenix is now weighing a water rate increase, and the reason is the Colorado River. That should worry Scottsdale far more than it worries Phoenix. Reclamation finalized a decade-long operating framework on July 31. Lake Mead then fell to its lowest level on record. Scottsdale, for its part, quietly spent $8.25 million on stored groundwater in June. … Read More
Voting for Raoul Zubia safeguards Scottsdale’s AAA bond rating
By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead The nation’s credit rating agencies just provided another compelling reason to elect Raoul Zubia to the City Council. In less than two years, the current Council majority has caused lasting damage including their unprecedented politicization of water and defunding of Scottsdale’s Advanced Purified Recycled Water program. These actions have dealt a dual blow to our community, … Read More
Mayor Borowsky: Water is Arizona’s lifeline — and Scottsdale has been the leader in best practices of this critical resource, and we must continue to do so
By Mayor Lisa Borowsky Water has always shaped Arizona’s story. It determines where communities grow, where businesses invest and how future generations will live and prosper in the Sonoran Desert. It is not just another public policy issue. Water is Arizona’s lifeline. This reality is why I invest significant time in service on the Board of the Arizona Municipal Water Users … Read More
Scottsdale responds to Colorado River environmental impact statement, emphasizing long-term water resilience
Mayor Borowsky: Decades of planning position Scottsdale to meet challenges ahead Following the Bureau of Reclamation’s release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that outlines the framework for Arizona, California and Nevada to realize Colorado River water allocation reductions, Scottsdale leaders are reaffirming the city’s commitment to responsible water management and long-term planning. Under the newly announced framework, Scottsdale expects to … Read More
Scottsdale’s Water Reckoning Arrives With the Colorado River Plan
Federal officials will unveil their Colorado River plan next week, and for Scottsdale and other cities in the area, the news is unlikely to bring relief. Quite the opposite. The pain lands here first Scottsdale draws roughly 70% of its water from the Central Arizona Project. That canal now sits at the center of a shrinking river. Federal officials will … Read More
Guest Editorial: Photo Ops Won’t Secure Scottsdale’s Water Future
By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead This week, a Council majority is staging a photo opportunity at Scottsdale’s Water Campus to reassure residents that Scottsdale’s water future is secure. It isn’t. The backdrop may be our award-winning Water Campus, but the reality is different. The experts who built Scottsdale’s nationally recognized water utility are gone. Funding for critical water projects has been … Read More
Scottsdale City Council advances Mayor Borowsky’s large water user ordinance initiative
From the Office of Mayor Lisa Borowsky Scottsdale is taking a significant step toward strengthening long-term water stewardship as the Scottsdale City Council unanimously directed the city manager and city attorney to agendize a work study session on the potential creation of a large water user ordinance. The proposed ordinance initiative, championed by Mayor Lisa Borowsky, is being developed in … Read More