A judge has declined to make Scottsdale resume sending water to Rio Verde Foothills, saying government, not the courts, should resolve the issue.

“Water is life in Arizona,” Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joan Sinclair wrote in an order released over the weekend.

“The Court appreciates the difficulties inherent in allocating dwindling water resources between competing claimants. This is a function of governmental leaders and entities.

“This Court cannot, and should not, make water policy decisions in lieu of the
appropriate authorities.”

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Rio Verde Foothills residents were seeking an injunction to make Scottsdale continue to provide water to haulers for delivery.

But the judge said the community had not proven “irreparable harm.”

“There has been no demonstration that the plaintiffs are unable to obtain water at all from any source.”

She continued: “Loss of water from Scottsdale to persons living outside the city’s boundaries is a hardship to Scottsdale. Given the current drought conditions in the area, loss of water to anyone is a hardship.”

Rio Verde Foothills has relied on Scottsdale to sell water to private haulers for years.

Scottsdale signaled for months that practice would end Jan. 1 because of drought concerns.

It did.