CONTINUE TO BUILD HOMES ON DRY
LAND. NBC'S VAUGHN HILLIARD HAS
MORE TONIGHT A WATER CRISIS IN
ARIZONA. THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS
ARE ABOUT TO BE LEFT WITHOUT
WATER. THE WATER WAR HITTING
THOSE IN THE REAL VERDICT.
FOOTHILLS A SMALL BUT FAST
GROWING AREA JUST WEST OF
SCOTTSDALE. TWO WEEKS AGO, THE
CITY OF SCOTT STILL STOP THE
TRANSPORTATION OF WATER MAKING
GOOD ON A YEAR'S WORTH OF
WARNINGS THAT THE MUNICIPAL
WATER SUPPLY WAS RUNNING DRY.
ABOUT 500 HOMES, INCLUDING SOME
MID CONSTRUCTION NOW COUNTING
DOWN THE DAYS UNTIL THE WATER
RUNS OUT BECAUSE THEIR
LIVELIHOOD NOW DO WE NEED WATER
NOW WE CAN'T WAIT LAST WEEK,
REAL BIRDIE RESIDENTS TAKING
THEIR FIGHT FROM THE STEPS OF
CITY HALL TO THE FIRST MEETING
OF THE YEAR FOR THE SCOTTSDALE
CITY COUNCIL IS NOT TOO LATE TO
DO THE RIGHT THING WITHIN A
MATTER OF DAYS. OUR WATER TANKS
AT OUR HOMES WILL BE DRY. BUT
THIS IS AVOIDABLE. WE JUST NEED
SCOTTSDALE TO PROCESS THAT WATER
. SCOTTSDALE HAD BEEN WARNING
RESIDENTS OF THE SUPPLY OF WATER
BROUGHT IN BY TANKERS COULD BE
CUT OFF, NOTING DEVELOPERS OF
RIO VERDE BYPASS THE STATE LAW,
WHICH ON THE BOOKS WOULD HAVE
REQUIRED THEM TO PROVE A
GUARANTEED SUPPLY OF WATER FOR
THE NEXT 100 YEARS, BUT THE
SUPPLY OF WATER IN THE GREATER
AREA CONTINUES TO DROP A DECADES
LONG DROUGHT DEPLETED
GROUNDWATER SOURCES AND
RESERVOIRS AT RECORD LOWS,
LEAVING REAL VERY FOOTHILLS IN
UNINCORPORATED TOWN WITHOUT IT.
KNOWN SUPPLY OF WATER HIGH AND
DRY. THE RESIDENTS FILED THE
LAWSUIT AGAINST SCOTTSDALE LAST
WEEK. SAYING THE CITY VIOLATES
STATE LAW, IT MUST RESUME
PROVIDING DOMESTIC WATER
SERVICES TO THE TOWN NOW ONLY
DAYS AWAY FROM BEING LEFT OUT TO
DRY. RESIDENTS ARE DOING WHAT
THEY CAN TO CONSERVE THE LITTLE
WATER THEY HAVE LEFT JUST CANNOT
BELIEVE THAT A GROUP OF PEOPLE
WOULD LOOK AT THEIR NEIGHBORS
AND SAY WE'RE GOING TO SLOWLY
KILL OFF YOUR COMMUNITY.
ALRIGHT. VAUGHN HILLYARD JOINS
US NOW IN STUDIO. SO VON WE KNOW
THAT THE MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY
IS CUT. IS THE CITY DOING
ANYTHING TO HELP THESE FAMILIES?
RIGHT THAT'S WHERE NOW THE CITY
AND THESE RESIDENTS ARE LOOKING
OUTSIDE OF SCOTTSDALE. BUT THAT
IS WHERE THE HARD TRUTHS ABOUT
THE COSTS OF WATER. COME IN. ALL
OF THIS ULTIMATELY FACTORS INTO
THE COST OF THE WATER FOR THESE
RESIDENTS. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
THESE TANKS, THESE WATER TANKERS
HAVING TO DRIVE EVEN FURTHER OUT
TO OTHER CITIES, AND THAT ADDS
COST BECAUSE THE TRANSPORTATION
TO BRING IT BACK, AND IT'S NOT
JUST ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR
COMMUNITY, BUT IT'S ALSO SO
ABOUT THE FUTURE ONES. YOU KNOW
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HOUSING
DEMAND IN THE PHOENIX AREA RIGHT
NOW IN A NEW PROJECT JUST BROKE
GROUND THREE MONTHS AGO TO BUILD
100,000 NEW HOMES WITH THE
GOVERNOR JUST RELEASED A REPORT
JUST THIS WEEK, SAYING THAT
THERE IS AN INADEQUATE WATER
SUPPLY OVER THE DECADES AHEAD TO
SUSTAIN THAT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
. SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE
FUTURE, BUT IT'S ABOUT THE
CURRENT RESIDENTS HERE IN
ARIZONA, AND WHETHER THERE IS
WATER TO TRULY SUSTAIN THE
GREATER PHOENIX AREA. YEAH WELL,
I WANT TO GO BACK TO SOMETHING
IN YOUR REPORT, AND YOU'RE FROM
ARIZONA. IT'S ONE O
WHY I WANT YOU TO THE STORY.
DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS NORMAL.
BUT HOW DID THAT DEVELOPMENT
EVEN GET BUILT? IF THEY WEREN'T
SURE THERE'S GONNA BE ENOUGH
WATER RIGHT? THEY BYPASS THE
STATE LAW THAT IS ON THE BOOK,
SAYING THAT YOU HAVE TO PROVE
THAT YOU HAVE A 100 YEAR WATER
SUPPLY AND THE DEVELOPERS OF
THAT NEW PROJECT THAT I'M
TALKING ABOUT. THEY ALSO PROVED
IT. BUT WHAT THEY'RE COMING TO
REALIZE IS THAT THE RESERVOIRS
AS THEY CONTINUE TO GO DOWN,
GROUNDWATER CONTINUES TO BE
DEPLETED, LARGELY BECAUSE OF THE
DEMAND FROM AGRICULTURE IS THAT
THE WATER THAT THEY THOUGHT IS
AVAILABLE IS NOT THERE GOING
FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE. AND SO
THAT IS WHERE THERE'S TALKS
ABOUT MORATORIUM ON BUILDING
INTO THE FUTURE, BUT ALSO SHOULD
THERE BE FARMING IN THE GREATER
PHOENIX AREA, TALKING ABOUT MORE
THAN 50% OF WATER GOING TO
AGRICULTURE HERE WHEN YOU'RE
LOOKING AT THE LANDSCAPE, IT'S
JUST TOUGH TO TRY TO SUSTAIN THE
CITY THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
SONORAN DESERT PROBLEM THAT YOU
REMEMBER GROWING UP WITH, OR IS
THIS SOMETHING NEW? THIS IS
BECOME URGENTLY MORE OF CONCERN
. GROWING UP. WE ALWAYS HEARD
ABOUT WATER. TURN OFF THE FAUCET
RIGHT AFTER YOU FINISHED WASHING
YOUR HANDS WHEN YOU'RE BRUSHING
YOUR TEETH, TURN OFF THE WATER
THERE, BUT NOW YOU'RE TALKING.
TALKING ABOUT LITERALLY
RESIDENTS NOT BEING ABLE TO
FLUSH THEIR TOILETS. THIS IS