SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Water bills are poised to go up in two Valley cities, and the shrinking Colorado River is part of the reason why.
Scottsdale is the latest Arizona city to propose a water rate increase tied in part to the Colorado River’s uncertain future.
The proposed 4.5% increase breaks down into two parts: 3.5% would cover regular operating and capital projects, while the remaining 1% is specifically dedicated to finding new water sources.
The Scottsdale City Council voted on Tuesday to discuss and put the proposed rate increase on its agenda on May 19.
Gilbert is already feeling the impact. The Gilbert Town Council approved a 25% water rate increase earlier this month that takes effect on April 1. That’s on top of back-to-back increases of 25% last year and 48% in 2024.
Residents say the increases have been too much.
"Everybody's mad,” said Gilbert resident Darrell Grossen. “They can't believe how much water rates have gone up."
The town is fast-tracking eight new wells and making multimillion-dollar upgrades at its North Water Treatment Plant.
"We saw this coming many years ago and still this is a fast-moving water issue,” said Eric Braun, Gilbert’s deputy town manager, at a recent council meeting. "These usually take decades to unroll. This has unrolled over the last four to five years."
He’s referring to how seven Western states, including Arizona, have repeatedly failed to agree on how to share the drought-stricken Colorado River. Without an agreement, the federal government is poised to step in later this year.
One option would cut Arizona’s Colorado River allotment by 77%.
Right now, Scottsdale relies on the Colorado for 70% of its water. Gilbert gets about 41% of its water from the Colorado River. Both cities get their river water through the Central Arizona Project, or CAP, a 336-mile system that brings the water to the state’s most populated regions.
Gilbert Mayor Scott Anderson issued a stark warning at a recent meeting to his own community and others across the Valley about what could happen if the state’s river allotment is cut dramatically.
"It's not something where it might be difficult to deal with. This is something that's going to be somewhere between really, really bad and a disaster."
Scottsdale City Manager Greg Caton cautioned in a memo sent to the council last week that direction is needed for a final rate model.
“There is significant uncertainty with Arizona water resources, particularly regarding the Colorado River and its expiring usage guidelines,” he wrote.
The memo goes on to say Scottsdale anticipates reductions in Colorado River allocations through the CAP and “is prepared to face these challenges.”
He said staff will offer several options for the council to consider, including purchasing water from other sources and expanding conservation efforts.
The Colorado River water is a sizeable piece of the pie, and further cuts deeper than what Arizona has already received would hurt the state.
In the video player below, Adam Klepp speaks with Tom Buschatzke, director of the AZ Department of Water Resources, on the Colorado River negotiations.
“There could be economic consequences, it’s important for people to pay attention.” Buschatzke said. “Support for what we're doing comes with knowledge of what we're doing, for what is a favorable and equitable outcome, and right now, we're not getting that."
Public comment for the federal plans ends on March 2. A record of decision could come anytime after that, with the new plan needing to be in place by October 1 of 2026.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X and Facebook.
