SCOTTSDALE — Scottsdale expects its Colorado River supply to drop 17% as soon as January, but city leaders say residents won’t notice right away because the city isn’t currently using its full allocation, ABC15 reported.
“We have a lot of water. Our taps are not running dry,” Councilwoman Jan Dubauskas said.
At a council meeting this week, staff laid out options for securing new water, with price tags ranging from a few million dollars to hundreds of millions. In the near term, the city is considering expanding a pumping station and bringing in water from the Harquahala Basin, about 60 miles west of Phoenix. Both would need new infrastructure.
“That means water rates may go up,” Councilwoman Maryann McAllen said. At least one council member wants to explore purifying recycled wastewater for drinking, though that isn’t funded.
Scottsdale has been in Stage 1 drought since 2021, which encourages but doesn’t require conservation.
Sources: ABC15. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Unknown author (public domain) / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
