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
Guest Editorial: Galvin Applauds Law Addressing Rio Verde Foothills Water Crisis, But Has Concerns
By Supervisor Thomas Galvin Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin says he’s “cautiously optimistic” about a new law that seeks to end the water crisis in Rio Verde Foothills (RVF). Governor Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1432 yesterday, which should, hopefully, get water flowing to RVF quickly. SB 1432 sets up a standpipe district that will enter into an agreement with … Read More
The Unfortunate Consequence of Drought: Governor Hobbs Puts the Breaks on Growth, How Will It Impact Us?
On this blog we pride ourselves on regularly covering the most pressing issues of Arizona, and two of the most pressing issues of the last few years have been the ongoing water supply issues plaguing the entire region, as well as the crisis of the cost of housing. Both of those items happen to intersect in a recent development that … Read More
The Rio Verde Foothills Crisis Gets the Governor’s Attention…and a Veto
One of the most explosive local issues in recent memory, the Rio Verde Foothills water crisis, has been moving forward in this year’s legislative session (get up to date on our coverage here). Unfortunately for its residents, it’s not going too well…yet. Indeed, the one bill to help alleviate the crisis has been vetoed by Governor Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s new … Read More
Further Fracturing Impacting Rio Verde Foothills Water Solution
The ongoing water crisis at the Rio Verde Foothills has seen a lot of chaos and a lot of bitter struggles (get up to date here). There has been finger pointing, battle lines drawn between Scottsdale Mayor Dave Ortega and the county Board of Supervisors, protests, state representatives taking shots and nearly everyone having an opinion. And that doesn’t appear … Read More
Lessons in Leadership: What Really Happened to the Rio Verde Foothills Water Plan
You are very likely aware of the ongoing Rio Verde Foothills water crisis; hopefully you’ve read some of our coverage, but regardless you’re likely aware of the highly concerned citizenry in the unincorporated town on the outskirts of Scottsdale, as well as the political bickering between the city of Scottsdale and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. A new story … Read More
Guest Editorial: Why Golf Courses Don’t Deserve Your Blame for the Water Crisis
By Tim Peeler As most people know, Arizona and the rest of the Southwest have been experiencing water shortages for quite some time now. The long-standing drought has obviously brought some major problems to the region which will require collaboration from experts in various fields to solve. Because I am not an expert, I will not be attempting to solve … Read More
Rio Verde Foothills Update: Rep. Kolodin Does Step Up to the Plate, but Can He Stop Shooting Himself in the Foot?
We recently wrote about one of Scottsdale’s state representatives, Alexander Kolodin, and his dipping his toes into the waters of influence in the Rio Verde Foothills water crisis. Our hope has been that he steps in as a voice of reason, someone who can bridge the divide between the city and county. Recent developments show that the message seems to … Read More
Guest Editorial: Water and the Rio Verde Foothills
By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead Last Friday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted down the intergovernmental agreement to deliver water to the unincorporated residents in Rio Verde Foothills. This is the second time in 9 months that the supervisors have voted against a water solution for these residents. I am deeply disappointed. In Scottsdale, we know that water management … Read More
The New Battle Lines with the Rio Verde Foothills Water Crisis Emerges: the City of Scottsdale v. Maricopa County
For a few moments, we thought that the Rio Verde Foothills water crisis was mostly resolved. We thought we had turned a corner, and that an agreement had been largely agreed upon. But to the detriment of the citizens of the Foothills and to the benefit of the pundits who appreciate good stories to write about, the story is clearly … Read More