Water Services Agreement
Chandler and Roosevelt Water Conservation District (RWCD) are engaged in litigation over an agreement to provide the city with water. RWCD has begun refusing to honor a water services agreement with Chandler that began in 2002 and is valid until 2086.
Chandler residents and property owners located south of Germann Road and east of Salt River Project’s Consolidated Canal pay approximately $1.7 million annually in property taxes to RWCD.
Taxes paid by Chandler residents:
- Tax year 2024 = $1,701,656
- Tax year 2023 = $1,690,258
- Tax year 2022 = $1,689,056
Chandler Residents Deserve Better
RWCD is operating in bad faith by taxing Chandler residents and property owners without providing the benefit of water for domestic uses, even as the city has upheld its obligations.
Since 2002, Chandler has purchased 40,545-acre feet of water under an agreement with RWCD that uses an objective, transparent formula.
Amid drought conditions and surface water shortages, RWCD has elected to let its water resources go to waste by being released from Salt River Project reservoirs rather than sell the water to Chandler.
Let Your Voice Be Heard
Water is a valuable public resource. RWCD is taxing Chandler residents and failing to provide water for domestic use. Share your comments here or attend a RWCD Board of Directors meeting for your voice to be heard.
It originated in 1917 for the purpose of irrigating farmlands encompassing 40,000 acres in southeastern Maricopa County. Dr. A.J. Chandler, the founder of Chandler, was among the people involved in forming the district. RWCD’s water resources are comprised of groundwater and surface water from the Salt and Verde rivers.
The district is governed by a Board of Directors who are elected to represent landowners located within portions of Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa.
Chandler residents and property owners residing within the district pay property taxes to RWCD. The Board of Directors meetings are open to the public and are held at their district headquarters, 6937 E. Elliot Road in Mesa.
In 2002, Chandler and RWCD signed a Domestic Water Service Agreement which set terms for Chandler to purchase water. That agreement runs until the year 2086.
The agreement offers a mechanism to ensure RWCD’s water rights continue to serve a beneficial use as agricultural lands continue to urbanize and water is needed for housing developments instead.
RWCD has begun refusing to honor the agreement with Chandler. Yet, residents continue to pay property taxes annually to RWCD.
The agreement with Chandler uses an equitable, proven formula to determine water availability. It’s a formula that worked successfully for past water purchases. Every summer, Salt River Project notifies all water users of the surface water mix available and RWCD is entitled to 5.6% of that annual delivery volume.
RWCD instead demands that Chandler enter into a new agreement that would give RWCD unrestricted discretion to determine how much water to offer each year rather than using the objective and transparent method of calculation included in our existing agreement. Such an agreement is not in the best interests of Chandler residents.
RWCD has taken this same approach with other East Valley municipalities.
Chandler was victorious in Arizona Superior Court to have the existing agreement upheld. RWCD appealed that ruling to the Arizona Court of Appeals and the lower court’s ruling was overturned. Chandler has filed a motion with the Arizona Supreme Court in an effort for the case to be heard in the state’s highest court.
Chandler residents experience significant water security through careful long-range planning and a diverse portfolio of water sources. Surface water provided by RWCD is included in Chandler’s 100-year assured water supply.
Approximately 57% of Chandler’s drinking water supplies come from the Salt and Verde rivers. RWCD is entitled to 5.6% of the annual surface water delivery volume from water stored in the Salt and Verde reservoirs.