By Jeff Wendt | Daily Independent
Cave Creek Town Council voted 5-2 on Oct. 21 to approve the purchase of a lot with groundwater rights in Harquahala Valley.
The purchase is needed due to an expected cut in water supplies coming from the Colorado River. Those cuts are to be decided by the end of 2026, and by January 2027 the U.S. government needs to make an approved allocation of water between the upper and lower basins, with Arizona residing in the lower basin.
By 2027, the town is projecting a 25% cut in water supplied by Central Arizona Project, and a 100% cut in Non-Indian Agricultural water, according to Utilities Director Shawn Kreuzwiesner. That would put the town under the 2,000 acre-feet per year to meet current customer demands.
The cut in water is an estimate because it is not known what the final cut will be in the Colorado River water supply.
The Harquahala groundwater basin sits west of the Phoenix area and provides a long-term option to both increase water resources and diversify water supplies, Kreuzwiesner said during his presentation to the council.
The agreement is to purchase a lot with 500 acre-feet of groundwater rights annually. A $100,000 earnest payment will be due within five days of the effective date of the agreement with the remaining $11.15 million due by Feb. 15, 2026.
An acre-foot of water represents about 325,000 gallons, or enough for two to three average Valley homes annually.
The agreement allows the town to continue to evaluate the project before final payment.
“The bottom line is we need water and we’re going to need it soon and this is the best way to get it,” Councilmember Thomas McGuire said. “There aren’t many alternatives. There’s a lot that could happen, but there’s not much that’s likely to happen. Water is security, and this is the most secure deal we can get.”
Read More (subscriber content)
Some stories may only appear as partial reprints because of publisher restrictions.