RIO VERDE, Ariz. — Some homeowners in Rio Verde Foothills fear they'll be cut off from drinkable water for the second time, after missing the deadline to sign up for EPCOR's water services.
Rio Verde Foothills homes used to be served by hauled water taken from the City of Scottsdale's supply. That water was cut off in 2023, with the city citing the West's ongoing drought.
For months, there was no alternative in place. Some residents tried saving rainwater and conserving what little water they could.
The solution, negotiated through the legislature, was for EPCOR, a Canadian utility company, to build a new standpipe in the area and find the water to serve it. EPCOR agreed but warned that it wouldn't be able to supply enough water for the 500 or more homes that needed it. there would have to be a lottery and people would have to sign up for it.
"We were told we did not have to have anything in by the June 1 deadline," Chantel Dooley said, standing in front of her home near Rio Verde Drive and 174th St.
"Once everything goes into effect, I will no longer be able to receive water," Dooley said.
Dooley said she was never notified that the deadline applied to her. She said there was confusion among some of the residents, and she was never sent anything in the mail or email.
“I don't understand how any private corporations can legally completely cut off citizens from having access to water without a certified letter, without a knock on the door, or without some type of proof or documentation that the citizens were told and informed and intentionally chose not to take action,” Dooley said.
The deadline for Dooley to sign up was June 1, 2024. The lottery to select customers was held Monday.
Now, Dooley's house is heading toward being worthless. She has tenants renting it at the moment, but that may not be possible past January of 2026.
“January 1, 2026, they have the monopoly out here," Rio Verde Water owner John Hornewer said.
Hornewer is the water hauler for the area. When EPCOR officially turns on the pipe, it will be his trucks that fill up and deliver it to the homes.
But only to those customers that met the deadline and were selected in the lottery.
Everyone else is on their own.
"Per the letter of the law, they are the sole provider," Hornewer said. "I am not legally allowed to bring water from an outside jurisdiction and cross their boundaries.”
This means, even if Hornewer could find a secondary source of water, he would open himself up to legal action if he brought it into EPCOR's territory, he said.
It also means Hornewer's business is essentially frozen. he can expand outside of EPCOR's service area, but his trucks couldn't cross the boundaries. the customers in Rio Verde Foothills that he has now are all the customers he will ever have.
"We have been completely shackled. Everything has just stopped," he said. "It is what it is, and that's it.”
EPCOR did not respond to 12News's request for comment on Tuesday.
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