Scottsdale Abandons Direct Potable Reuse Plan Amid Political Opposition

An affluent Phoenix suburb has scrapped plans to deliver recycled wastewater directly to household taps after local political candidates made unproven claims that the supply consists of contaminated “poop water.”

Scottsdale's city council voted in June to shift its funding priorities, replacing a planned direct potable reuse expansion with a broad $100 million allocation to secure new water supplies.

The decision effectively killed an initiative that would have integrated purified wastewater into the city’s main drinking supply by 2027, as reported by the Associated Press.

The issue has divided a three-way race for two city council seats this fall. Former Republican state lawmaker Michelle Ugenti-Rita and conservative incumbent Barry Graham both oppose the project, questioning its cost, safety and ability to meet state regulations.

Ugenti-Rita, who featured actor Rob Schneider in a May campaign advertisement displaying a glass of clear water next to a glass of brown liquid, accused political opponents of forcing residents to consume sewage water.

Graham described the program as an expensive, “alarmist” response to drought conditions, and said that advanced water purification should serve strictly as a last resort.

“I can’t just assume that every visitor and resident is going to trust the experts and is even going to listen to the experts,” Graham said.

Local water officials have pushed back against the claims, noting that less than 1 percent of the city’s liquid waste originates from toilets and that the purification process uses ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet photolysis to exceed federal standards.

“It’s so important to protect and reuse water in the Southwest,” Bryan Cassens, an assistant senior director for Scottsdale Water, told the Associated Press. “Here we already know it all. We've been doing it for 28 years.”

Scottsdale pioneered its wastewater recycling infrastructure in 1998, building a facility capable of serving 60,000 households. The city of 250,000 residents relies on the Colorado River for 70 percent of its total supply — the highest proportion of any municipality of its size across Arizona and California.

Water policy experts warn that abandoning reuse initiatives increases vulnerability as the Southwest faces prolonged drought conditions and reduced allocations from the Colorado River, where key reservoirs Lake Mead and Lake Powell hit record low levels this summer.

“It’s not really a good time to start being selective,” said Cynthia Campbell, a former water resource management adviser for Phoenix. “Are you really going to play political games with the one thing that makes it possible to live in the desert?”

Federal officials continue to push for wastewater recycling across the West, with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation directing more than $300 million to purification projects since last year.

Ben Grumbles, executive director of the Environmental Council of the States, cautioned against shifting long-term public works strategies due to political opposition.

“It can be frustrating when there are politicians scoring a cheap, fast point,” Grumbles said. “I hope that over time, the facts will bear out.”

Scottsdale Water staff plan to present alternative supply options to the city council in October.