Governor signs law ending Arizona water dispute involving upscale Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale

PHOENIX (AP) - Legislation that resolves the water supply problem of a small unincorporated community outside the upscale city of Scottsdale was signed into law Monday by Gov. Katie Hobbs.

The bill approved last month by the state Legislature obliges Scottsdale to provide Rio Verde Foothills with access to city water. The law aims to ensure that small communities like Rio Verde Foothills have access to water in a state plagued with water supply problems.

The several hundred people living in the community had been anxious for a solution after Scottsdale cut off water access on Jan. 1, saying it needed to ensure its own residents had enough water during a severe drought.

Before the cutoff, Scottsdale had allowed water haulers to use a city standpipe to take water to residents of Rio Verde Foothills, who store their water in big tanks.