Summer heat, dying animals: Rural San Tan Valley residents deal with demise of water supply
By Rachel Leingang | Arizona Capitol Times
San Tan Valley area residents were left in a lurch late last month when a water utility shut off a standpipe they used to fill water tanks and hydrate their families, pets and homes.
Johnson Utilities turned off a standpipe at Magma Road and Edwards Street on July 30 without permission from the Arizona Corporation Commission. The company claims the standpipe was repeatedly vandalized and the cost to bring it back online wasn’t tenable.
According to the Corporation Commission, more than 200 customers relied on water from the standpipe. The next-closest one is 13 miles away in Florence, and another sits 17 miles away in Apache Junction.
