Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed a lawsuit against a Saudi Arabian agribusiness, alleging that its groundwater pumping practices pose a threat to public health, safety, and infrastructure in a rural western county. The complaint, lodged in Maricopa County Superior Court, targets Fondomonte Arizona, LLC., a subsidiary of Saudi dairy giant Almarai Co.
The lawsuit contends that Fondomonte's extensive water extraction at an alfalfa farm in La Paz County's Ranegras Plain Basin has led to a depletion of the aquifer, resulting in dried-up wells, cracked ground, and sinking areas. The company's actions have been accused of harming the local community that relies on basin water.
