RIO VERDE, Ariz. — There are gallon jugs lined up around Leigh Harris's home, like a bottled moat, hoping to ward off the water disaster that's about to hit.
"This water will primarily be to flush the toilets," Harris said. Each gallon is one flush. And that's all she can spare.
It's one of a long list of water-saving measures Harris has had to implement before Sunday, January 1, 2023.
On Sunday, Harris and about 500 other homes in Rio Verde Foothills will lose access to the water they've been relying on for years. Those homes are served by water-hauling tankers that fill up at a City of Scottsdale standpipe.
On Sunday, Scottsdale will no longer let them use it. Scottsdale says it's worried about the continuing drought and needs to save its water for its own citizens. Rio Verde Foothills is outside the city limits.
"It's just shocking that we're here," Karen Nabity said.
Shocking because there have been plans. A Domestic Water Improvement District would have acted like a small community water utility. Lawsuits to get Scottsdale to reconsider. Deals with other water utilities. Water haulers trying to bring in water from the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Petitions, politics, pleading.
They've all failed.
"I can tell you I've talked to too many residents, and they're scared, and they're frustrated," Nabity said.
"We have a bucket in the sink to catch any water from washing hands," she said.
Harris is a few steps beyond that. She collects rainwater in huge 500-gallon tanks spread around her house. She's wrapped her rain gutters to direct that rainfall into them. She's even bought purification equipment in hopes of turning some of that rainwater into drinkable water, or at least water that can be used in a shower or for laundry.
Her dishwater is collected in a bucket inside her sink and used again to flush the toilet. Washing hands is allowed only a few tablespoons of water. There are even collection buckets in the shower.
"I mean, you can see all the steps we're taking in order to stretch this potable water supply," Harris said.
She and Nabity both got their last big water shipment of the year this week. Enough to top off their 5,000-gallon tanks, which should last them a month or so with heavy conservation.
But the average family of four uses 12,000 gallons of water a month.
Water could be available to the water haulers, but it would be from standpipes in other cities. Places like Peoria and Apache Junction have been floated as possibilities. Both are more than an hour's drive away from Rio Verde.
One water company has suggested prices for 6,000 gallons would go up to more than $600. This means for an average family of four. A monthly water bill would be $1,200 or more.
"We're super conservative," Nabity said, "Our electric bill, I mean, my husband gets really stressed if it nears $200 in the summer!"
"An hour down and an hour back, and who knows how much of a wait in between while those trucks are lined up," Harris said.
Driving that much farther to fill up also cuts down on the number of trips the water tankers can take, which cuts down on the amount of water they can deliver daily.
Scottsdale has said it will not reconsider its decision, and the trucks will be cut off on Sunday.
After that, the people of Rio Verde Foothills are on their own.
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