'Cheap water is over': Arizona suburb Queen Creek weighs steep water fee hikes

Queen Creek, a fast-growing Phoenix suburb, plans six years of water fee increases to pay for a $730 million groundwater supply as Colorado River supplies shrink, with one resident warning his bill could eventually top $500 a month.

Queen Creek, one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Phoenix, is weighing years of water fee increases to pay for a long-term groundwater supply, a debate that captures a new reality across the Southwest: "Cheap water is over."

Resident Ron Rios, who treasures the backyard pool that makes Arizona's triple-digit summers more tolerable, was furious to learn that his monthly water bill could rise from about $130 to eventually more than $500, The Washington Post reported.

$730 million for a century of water

Town leaders say the increases are needed to secure water for the next 100 years as supplies from the shrinking Colorado River decline. Queen Creek has committed about $730 million, including principal and interest paid over 30 to 40 years, to buy and bring in groundwater from distant basins, including the Harquahala Valley west of Phoenix.

A bridge over the CAP canal near Queen Creek (file photo)

The Town Council unanimously approved notices of intent on Sept. 16 and scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 18, which will set only the first year's rates. Staff have described five more annual increases, each requiring a separate vote. For an average single-family home using water and sewer, a new water resource fee would climb from $16 to $57 a month over six years, according to the Queen Creek Tribune.

Other Phoenix-area communities face similar pressure. Water bills in neighboring Gilbert have roughly doubled since 2024, and a federal plan for the Colorado River is expected to push water bills higher across Arizona.

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