EPCOR DELIVERS WATER SOLUTION FOR RIO VERDE FOOTHILLS, FACILITY OPENS JANUARY 1, 2026
Collaborative effort ensures lasting water security for Arizona community
GLENDALE, Ariz., Dec. 30, 2025 — EPCOR USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EPCOR Utilities Inc. (EPCOR), has delivered on its promise to the Rio Verde Foothills community. Construction of a permanent water solution is complete, and a new EPCOR-owned water filling station will open January 1, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. local time.
“Promise made, promise kept,” said Shawn Bradford, Senior Vice President of Regulated US Water for EPCOR. “We were asked to step in and solve the water challenge facing Rio Verde Foothills. We assured the community we would deliver a permanent water solution, and we did.”
Bradford said the project was completed through collaboration with multiple partners including the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, the Arizona Legislature, the Arizona Corporation Commission and the City of Scottsdale.
Located just southeast of the unincorporated community, EPCOR completed the water filling station, a one-mile pipeline and related infrastructure on an accelerated timeline. EPCOR will continue to provide the water through its existing water portfolio, as it has since October 2023.
Background information
Rio Verde Foothills is an unincorporated community approximately 32 miles northeast of the City of Scottsdale. The community historically relied on water from Scottsdale. When the Federal Bureau of Reclamation implemented reductions to Colorado River water allocations in 2023, the City entered the first stage of its drought management plan and a new water solution was needed for Rio Verde Foothills.
The newly constructed filling station replaces a temporary arrangement established in 2023, when the Arizona Legislature created the Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe District to facilitate the transfer of EPCOR’s water through Scottsdale’s infrastructure. That temporary arrangement ends December 31, 2025, at midnight when the Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe District sunsets.
The community’s water crisis was a localized issue that drew broad attention. Although EPCOR was not the community’s water provider at the time, it was asked to step in and provide a lasting solution. EPCOR’s work over the past two years demonstrates that, with collaboration and commitment, complex water challenges can be solved effectively and responsibly.
Hours of operation and customer information
The standpipe will be open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time, beginning January 1, 2026.
Accessing water from the standpipe requires a customer account and access code (PIN). Account holders must live within the designated Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe service area. For more information call 1-800-383-0834 or email [email protected].
Multimedia
Visuals, including b-roll of the new filling station and the construction process, are available here. Interview opportunities with EPCOR leadership can be scheduled upon request.
About EPCOR
EPCOR Utilities Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiaries, builds, owns and operates electrical, natural gas and water transmission and distribution networks, water and wastewater treatment facilities, and related infrastructure in the United States and Canada. EPCOR’s U.S. operations focus on water solutions for residential communities, commercial development and industrial customers across Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. EPCOR has approximately 600 employees in the United States and is recognized by the Water Environment Federation as a Utility of the Future.
Media contacts
Rebecca Stenholm
Strategic Manager, EPCOR USA & North American Commercial Services
Office: 623-445-2424 | Mobile: 602-421-1212 | Email: [email protected]
Lori Denaro
Public Affairs Director, EPCOR USA & North American Commercial Services
Office: 602-799-0672 | Mobile: 480-773-2839 | Email: [email protected]