Attorneys for a Saudi-owned alfalfa farm want a judge to toss a bid by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to halt its pumping of groundwater. The lawyers say her lawsuit against the company Fondomonte is illegal.
Last year, Mayes sued Fondomonte, claiming its pumping of rural groundwater goes against public nuisance laws.
But the company’s lawyers claim that lawsuit ignores a state law which says agricultural operations conducted with good practices are presumed to be reasonable and do not constitute a nuisance.
That is unless the farm has a substantial adverse effect on public health and safety.
Arizona has cancelled land leases held by Fondomonte, but it still is able to farm in other private land areas. The outcome of the lawsuit could impact how farms use groundwater in rural parts of the state.
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Matthew Olsen, associate project manager with ADEQ, says the agency is working with small water utilities outside Star Valley and Globe, where the chemicals have been found. -
Salt Lake City, Utah has a unique challenge ahead of it as it looks forward to hosting the 2034 Winter Games: Its namesake Great Salt Lake — is drying up. -
Low snow totals across the Colorado River basin are threatening to shrink major reservoirs and making water managers anxious. -
Negotiators are focusing on a five-year agreement for sharing water from the shrinking river. Experts say that would provide some much-needed flexibility. -
Across the Mountain West, groundwater is the unseen force keeping springs flowing, wetlands green, and desert plants alive. Now, a new interactive tool is making that hidden water easier to see.
