The lawsuit is directed against the Saudi Arabia based company Fondomonte Arizona LCC. This company cultivates land in La Paz County on the state border with California. According to InsideClimateNews, Mayes‘ lawsuit is based on the expectation that mow the state’s legislators will regulate groundwater management in rural Arizona. This region is suffering from a rapid and worrying decline in groundwater levels.

Cultivation in Arizona to feed cattle in Saudi Arabia

Fondomonte Arizona LCC has been the subject of controversy for several years due to its massive cultivation practices. The company cultivates alfalfa on public and private land of the county – without any official limits on water extraction to cover the high irrigation requirements of this plant. The harvest is used in Saudi Arabia as fodder for cattle herds.

Growing alfalfa needs a lot of water. (Photo: Delphotostock /Adobe Stock)

The state of Arizona cancelled some of its land transfers to the company in 2023, but production appears to have continued unabated. According to a hydrological report commissioned by the Attorney General’s Office, Fondomonte withdrew around 38.5 million cubic metres of water per year. This amount corresponds to the needs of 90,000 households and accounts for around 80 % of the water extracted from the Ranegras Plain Basin each year. As a result of this overuse, local wells have run dry.

“The people of La Paz County and those living in the Ranegras Plain deserve action, and that is what we are delivering today,” Mayes said during a press conference. “Fondomonte’s unsustainable groundwater pumping has caused devastating consequences for the Ranegras Plain Basin, putting the health and future of the residents of La Paz County at risk. Arizona law is clear on this point. No company has the right to endanger an entire community’s health and safety for its own gain. No company has the right to threaten the health and safety of an entire community for its own profit.”

Water scarcity is caused by climate change and overuse

Fondomonte is just one outstanding example of the overuse of freshwater resources in Arizona. Community members, local leaders, water and environmental experts have long called for a change in the state’s groundwater use rules. However, all attempts to introduce such proposals in the state legislature have so far been blocked by Republicans in key positions.
Under current Arizona law, 80 % of the state has no groundwater monitoring regulations, allowing farms to extract unlimited amounts of water.