Saudi-owned Fondomonte can’t drill 2 new wells in Arizona, state says
A private company that farms alfalfa in Arizona’s Butler Valley cannot drill two additional wells on state-owned land there, potentially curtailing the use of some groundwater in an area that has become a political flashpoint in the drought-stricken state.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, said Friday that the drilling permits for Saudi Arabian-owned company Fondomonte were revoked, claiming credit after she raised objections in early April to state agencies about discrepancies in application paperwork. Those included listing different landowners and conflicting information about whether the wells were new or replacements.
About a week prior to Mayes’ announcement, the Arizona Department of Water Resources notified Fondomonte the permits were revoked at the request of the Arizona State Land Department, which allowed a permit for land improvements to expire and prevented Fondomonte from drilling the wells. The Arizona State Land Department did not respond to questions about about its permits or the impact of the expiration.
The well permits were granted by the Arizona Department of Water Resources in August 2022, according to state well records. That was two months after The Arizona Republic revealed sweetheart land leases to Fondomonte, and other companies, that allowed it to use groundwater without oversight. The water in the area is designated as a future supply for Phoenix and other urban areas.
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“It’s outrageous and frankly unacceptable that the state would even consider granting new wells to allow the Saudis to pump millions of gallons of water to grow more alfalfa for their cows,” Mayes said, noting the vast amount of water that could come from those new wells.
“In one day the amount of water pumping out of just one of those wells could serve roughly 30,000 Arizona residents, which is pretty astonishing given that the entire population of La Paz County has just over 16,000 people,” she said. “This is water that belongs to the people of Arizona and needs to stay in the ground in La Paz County.”
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Fondomonte has several other wells on the property in western Arizona, near Bouse. A company executive and public relations representative did not answer questions for this article, including about whether Fondomonte would appeal the permits or the effect on its farming.
A spokesperson for the Department of Water Resources declined to comment on Mayes’ role in ending the permits.
The land and water use became a key part of Mayes’ campaign for attorney general, and she has spent her first months in office railing against the deals and looking for ways to untangle the state from them. Her emphasis on doing so led to a brief public disagreement with fellow Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier this year, who said Mayes did not have the sole authority to take action, but who has criticized the deals, too.
Mayes said she would continue to work with Hobbs “on protecting the people of La Paz County, and Arizona’s groundwater supplies.”
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at [email protected] or 480-416-5669. Follow her on Twitter @sbarchenger.
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