The Scottsdale City Council voted in June to replace funding for a water recycling project with a $100 million allocation for new water sources. The shift occurred after local political candidates raised concerns regarding the safety and cost of the program, with some referring to the supply as "poop water."
Scottsdale has operated a wastewater recycling system since 1998, primarily using purified water to recharge underground aquifers. The city proposed expanding this to "direct potable reuse," which involves treating wastewater to meet or exceed federal drinking water standards before adding it to the municipal supply. City officials stated that less than 1% of the liquid waste originates from toilets and that the water undergoes ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet photolysis.
The issue has become a point in a three-way race for two city council seats. Candidate Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a former state lawmaker, and incumbent Councilman Barry Graham have questioned the safety and expense of the project. Ugenti-Rita featured actor Rob Schneider in a May advertisement suggesting the plan forced residents to drink sewage. Water officials and some experts argued the project is a response to a long-term drought affecting the Colorado River.
The move sets a potential precedent for four other Arizona municipalities currently looking to replicate Scottsdale's recycling technology. Experts warn that abandoning reuse initiatives increases vulnerability during a period when Lake Mead and Lake Powell have hit record lows. Federal authorities at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have committed over $300 million toward similar purification projects across the West since last year.
Water officials in Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tucson have also expressed concern that new state requirements for tracking contaminants could increase costs. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is currently drafting rules to streamline this process, but they are not expected to be finalized until early 2027. For now, Scottsdale Water staff are scheduled to present water supply options to the city council in October.
What happens next: Scottsdale Water officials will present water supply options to the city council in October. Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality continues work on its new water quality rules, with a target completion date in early 2027.