It has been one of the biggest crises in recent Arizona history, one that has made national headlines as a potential canary in a coalmine to larger impending water issues in the state. And after too many back-and-forths, politically charged statements and in-fighting, it looks like this chapter is closed: the Rio Verde Foothills water crisis is officially over. First … Read More
Statement from Supervisor Thomas Galvin on Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe Decision
“The Arizona Corporation Commission approved EPCOR’s application to construct a standpipe for water service to the Rio Verde Foothills community today. This is the long-term solution that I worked towards since becoming a member of the Board of Supervisors and serving District 2. I am happy that the good folks in Rio Verde Foothills will have a long-term, reliable water … Read More
Guest Editorial: Defending Scottsdale water is no vice
By Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega This week, two significant water-related issues made the headlines. First, Governor Hobbs acted to stop Fondomonte, the Saudi Arabia-owned alfalfa farm, to halt it from draining billions of gallons of Arizona groundwater. Secondly, the Rio Verde Standpipe District met state statutes and City of Scottsdale’s stringent requirements to operate, serving Rio Verde Foothills (RVF). Supervisor … Read More
Guest Editorial: Statement from County Supervisor Thomas Galvin on Return of Reliable Water to Rio Verde Foothills
By Supervisor Thomas Galvin “I am grateful that water is once again flowing to Rio Verde Foothills (RVF), but I am still baffled why it took this long. After all, my solution to this unnecessary crisis has been on the table for the past year. Instead, there was ten months of unnecessary pain to the Rio Verde Foothills. And City of Scottsdale residents were not … Read More
Pushes and Pulls in Scottsdale City Council as Water Delivery is Resumed to the Rio Verde Foothills
The water crisis in the Rio Verde Foothills has been the political football that keeps getting punted back and forth.(get up to date here). Politicians at all levels of government have weighed in, and the result has been slow progress. It now appears as though the stand-off is in its final stages, as the city of Scottsdale has voted to … Read More
Real Progress: the Rio Verde Foothills Step Closer to Normalcy
It has been quite the roller coaster for the residents of the Rio Verde Foothills and their attempt to secure a long term source for water; you can get fully up to date here. Through nearly a full year of ups and downs, of political grandstanding and anger from the citizenry, the people in this region have taken a significant … Read More
The Scottsdale Diamond Fire: Lessons in Bravery, Vulnerability and Recklessness
The recent Diamond Fire in North Scottsdale struck serious concerns, if not outright fear, into many area residents. It is entirely contained at the time of writing, but many residents still can’t claim to be completely out of the metaphorical woods yet when it comes to emotional damage. Widespread fires are not an issue that plague the Valley very often, … Read More
No Spiking the Football Just Yet: Rio Verde Foothills Demonstrates How Legislation Isn’t the End-All Be-All
The Rio Verde Foothills got some good news recently in their fight for secured water; Senate Bill 1432 was signed by Governor Katie Hobbs last week, thus ending a tumultuous time for the embattled community. But there was a reason why we had some degree of hesitation when it came to declaring victory, and this article exemplifies that concern very … Read More
Guest Editorial: SB1432 – A Win for Scottsdale, Rio Verde Foothills Residents, and Arizona
By Councilmember Solange Whitehead This past week, Governor Katie Hobbs signed SB1432 into law with an emergency clause. The bipartisan bill creates a path to water security for Rio Verde Foothills residents. I discussed the new law with Mark Brodie on KJZZ’s The Show this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A8w7hlBdFg In passing the law, the State ends a water crisis created in part by … Read More
Finally…A Resolution to the Rio Verde Foothills Water Crisis. For Now.
What an incredibly tumultuous six months it has been for the residents of the Rio Verde Foothills and their pursuit of secured water supply; you can get fully up to date here. After a few head fakes and potential resolutions, it looks like finally a solution is in place. Governor Katie Hobbs is widely assumed to sign into law HB … Read More