Water running again after copper pipes stolen from animal shelter

Maricopa County Animal Care and Control is back to normal after an apparent copper theft left the agency without running water Wednesday morning, leaving staff without means to clean the animals and their shelters.

MCACC staff was left without sinks, bathrooms or outside hoses, said Aprille Hollis, a spokeswoman for MCACC. About 400 animals were affected, she added.

Repairs brought running water back to the shelter at about 8:15 a.m. A water truck was also called in Wednesday morning in the event that the water problems were not fixed, but the shelter cancelled the call after running water was restored.

The agency was especially concerned about the threat of heat exhaustion, Hollis said.

“Our biggest concern is the animals in our care,” she said. “It could have been a really bad situation.”

Hollis said about two feet of copper piping was stolen between the hours of 11 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday. The damage was estimated to require between $3,000 and $5,000 in repairs.

Surveillance footage may have captured the apparent theft, but it is unlikely that anyone could be identified in the footage due to the distance between the camera and the area of the piping, Hollis said.

The agency has shelter, adoptions, field services, licensing and education programs. Its mission is to protect and promote the health, safety and welfare of people and pets within Maricopa County, according to the agency.

Hundreds of homeless animals are without water