Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Residents of an East Valley rural community have been dealing with an impending water crisis for nearly a year. Last November, the city of Scottsdale sent a letter to residents of Rio Verde Foothills letting them know water hauling services, the main way hundreds of the rural area's homes get water, would be cut off at year's end as a part of Scottsdale's drought contingency plan.
