San Tan Valley Opposes Queen Creek Water Fee

The town council voted to authorize a letter objecting to a proposed $3.07 per 1,000 gallon fee affecting more than 12,000 customers.

Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Utilities

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a single brass water valve on a pipe rising from pale desert sand, set against a navy and cream field. — San Tan Valley councilmembers voted unanimously to oppose Queen Creek's proposed $3.07 per 1,000 gallon water fee, which would affect more than 12,000 customers. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The San Tan Valley Council voted by voice vote with no opposition on November 4 to authorize Mayor Daren Schnepf to send a letter opposing Queen Creek's proposed water resource fee. The fee would be $3.07 per 1,000 gallons for Queen Creek Water customers, including those in San Tan Valley.

Why it matters

Council members said the fee affects more than 12,000 customers and that they want answers from Queen Creek before it moves ahead. One member said the fee lands harder on San Tan Valley customers than on Queen Creek residents, and many affected customers have EPCOR sewer service that does not earn the wastewater credit.

The proposed fee is $3.07 per 1,000 gallons, about $31 per month for a home using 10,000 gallons, and would raise yearly totals for 12,200 San Tan Valley single-family accounts from roughly $7 million to $8.9 million, a 27% first-year increase. The final rate and the resolution of the EPCOR sewer credit dispute remain unsettled.

The players

Daren Schnepf

Mayor of the Town of San Tan Valley, authorized by the council to send the letter opposing the fee.

Queen Creek Water

Water utility run by the Town of Queen Creek, whose service area extends into San Tan Valley and which is proposing the resource fee.

EPCOR

Private utility provider of water and sewer service in parts of the region, whose sewer customers are not eligible for Queen Creek's wastewater credit.

The details

Queen Creek Water, run by the Town of Queen Creek, plans to raise the fee over six years, with March 9, 2027 the earliest date bills would carry the new rates. Queen Creek gives a credit to customers whose wastewater goes to its own sewer system, but many Queen Creek Water customers in San Tan Valley have EPCOR sewer service and do not receive it.

October 21, 2026: Queen Creek presented to council, and its utility director said the two utilities were discussing solutions.
November 4, 2026: San Tan Valley Council voted by voice vote to authorize the opposition letter.
November 9, 2026: Queen Creek open house at the Municipal Services Building, 3 to 5 p.m.
November 17, 2026: Queen Creek open house at the Municipal Services Building, 4 to 6 p.m.
November 18, 2026: Queen Creek council public hearing on the water fee, 6:30 p.m.

Roadmap

The dispute centers on Queen Creek's proposed Water Resource Fee, which would be phased in over six years and first reach bills no earlier than March 9, 2027. San Tan Valley's objection places a neighboring town's council formally on record before that fee's public hearing on November 18, 2026.

Single-family homes using 10,000 gallons per month would see roughly $31 more per month if the fee takes effect as proposed. Customers with EPCOR sewer service should check their bills for the wastewater credit, since many do not qualify for it under the current structure.

The takeaway

Customers of Queen Creek Water in San Tan Valley should watch the November 18 public hearing and confirm whether their sewer provider qualifies them for the wastewater credit, since that credit determines much of the fee's real cost to them.

What happens next

Queen Creek will hold open houses on November 9 and November 17, 2026, and a public hearing on the water resource fee on November 18, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.