BUCKEYE, Ariz. — Pete and Judy Dorazio thought they'd found their dream retirement home.
The couple lives in California, but with the area becoming more and more expensive, they wanted to move to a place where their money would stretch further.
The Dorazios thought they found it in Sun City Festival, on the North end of Buckeye, Arizona.
While visiting friends who lived there, the Dorazios came across a move-in ready home for sale on the golf course. It was almost perfect, they said.
They put down $30,000 to secure it.
But Pete Dorazio spoke with 12News from California, not from his new dream home in Arizona — because the Dorazios never bought their dream home.
“I started researching and doing more and more research and finding out more and more," Pete said. "There really is an issue out here."
Pete found a 12News story about groundwater in the West Valley. At the beginning of 2023, Governor Katie Hobbs released a report on the groundwater availability in a part of the West Valley. The state's analysis showed that all the available groundwater in that area had been spoken for.
In some urban parts of Arizona, new homes must prove that they have access to 100 years of water. But in most cases, that water is groundwater.
After the release of the state's new report, state officials stopped issuing those 100 year water certifications based on groundwater availability.
If builders want to develop on that land, they would have to find water from somewhere else other than the ground.
"That was the deal breaker," Pete said.
The Dorazios backed out of their deal, ultimately forfeiting their $30,000 deposit.
Even though the home was built and guaranteed to have a 100 year supply of water by the city of Buckeye and the builders, the Dorazios were not convinced.
The Dorazios are concerned about what happens after those 100 years and what happens if the measurements are wrong.
"We could be left with a piece of real estate that there's no water for," Pete said.
12News spoke with water experts who said some large cities have to prove a 100 year supply of water for their residents every 15 years, making it a rolling target. But in the Sun City Festival area, the developer only has to prove a 100 year supply of water one time.
After those 100 years are up, experts said they don't really know what happens. Experts said they assume other sources of water will be found, conservation will be done — but there's no guarantee.
And that was too much risk for the Dorazios.
"I can guarantee you 95% of the people that buy homes out there probably have no idea until they live there," Pete said.
For now, the Dorazios said they will stay in California to plan their next retirement move.
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