New Water Hauling Station A 'Go' For New River

By Bret Jaspers
Published: Thursday, December 7, 2017 - 5:05am
Updated: Thursday, December 7, 2017 - 6:58am
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(Photo by Bret Jaspers - KJZZ)
New River has about 15,000 residents, many who get water hauled in from outside sources.

The utility EPCOR has decided to go ahead with a water hauling station that would serve residents of New River and Desert Hills.

EPCOR had taken a step back from the project after it said it got mixed signals from residents. This week, after residents submitted letters and petitions with hundreds of additional signatures in support of the project, the company said it will go forward.

The water hauling station in the community Anthem would be a new spot for haulers to tap into. They’ve been going to hydrants in the city of Phoenix, but the city’s cutting them off at the end of the year.

Julie Elliott, president of the group New River Desert Hills Water, said this huge.

“This will mean that the community can keep the cost of water down, particularly for those in our community [who] have the least amount of disposable income,” she said.

Cost has been a concern. Without the new, closer station, gasoline costs from trucking water from Scottsdale or elsewhere would have made water prices much higher.

The station won’t get built until after Phoenix’s end-of-year deadline has passed. In an email, a spokesperson for City of Phoenix Water Services wrote, “at this time, the city still has no intention of extending the permits for potable hauling purposes.”

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