Arizona's Attorney General Kris Mayes has launched legal action against the agricultural company Fondomonte Arizona, LLC, over its extensive groundwater pumping operations. This suit alleges that Fondomonte's activities not only affect the Ranegras Plain Basin's water levels but also pose significant health and safety risks to the residents of La Paz County, as per the Attorney General's Office.

The state's public nuisance law, which is said to be violated by Fondomonte, defines a public nuisance as any activity that endangers health, hinders the use of property, or disrupts life's comfort for a community. According to the complaint, Fondomonte has pumped roughly 31,196 acre-feet of groundwater just in 2023, to sustain its alfalfa crops for export. To put it in context, this amount of water could support nine single-family homes for an entire year.

"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," Attorney General Mayes said, as stated by the Attorney General's Office. The lawsuit seeks to halt the company's excessive water extraction and establish a fund to address the damage that has already been done.

The suit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court looks to secure a court order that would not only declare the company's practices a nuisance but also, enforce a cessation of the groundwater pumping that has been ongoing since 2014.