According to a report, panicked residents of an Arizona neighborhood are stockpiling water after adjacent Scottsdale disconnected them from future deliveries at the start of the New Year.
City officials claimed that they could no longer give water to about 1,000 residents in the Rio Grande Foothills due to the drought, which was getting worse.
The village had previously purchased water from the municipality and could count on a consistent supply because it was only a few kilometers outside the boundaries of the wealthy town.
Scottsdale officials, however, stated that they needed to retain their water supply and as a result, they cut off the stand pipe that was serving the neighborhood as part of their Drought Management Plan as the drought got worse.
Residents of 700 properties, many of which are worth more than $500,000, are now experiencing an extreme dry period since deliveries have been stopped.
The New York Times reports that struggling households have taken steps to conserve as much water as they can by forgoing showers, using paper plates instead of dishes, and collecting rainwater.
Residents are preparing for their property prices to plummet as they face the prospect of parched properties.
Although developers have avoided the restriction by creating smaller communities with only a few homes, planned subdivisions with six or more lots are required to provide a sustainable water source for 100 years in the region.
“We have about five to seven days of water left. My community is beautiful. It’s the most special place in Arizona. And if it doesn’t have water, almost a thousand homes, it’s going to die. I just hope our neighbors in Scottsdale see this and want to help,” resident Wendy Walk remarked.
Father-of-four Cody Reim stated that his monthly water cost, which currently averages $220, could soon rise to over $1,000 due to water brought in by trucks. The closest stand pipe has been shut off by Scottsdale, so the trucks will need to bring materials from a great distance away.