Key Points:
- Mayes’ lawsuit is aimed at a Saudi-owned alfalfa farm using Arizona water
- Farmers, cities challenge Mayes’ lawsuit as legally unfounded
- Case could set precedent affecting all Arizona groundwater users
By Howard Fischer | YourValley
A group of farmers, ranchers and cities are going to court to stop Attorney General Kris Mayes from pursuing her bid to halt the pumping of groundwater by a Saudi-owned alfalfa farm.
Attorney David Brown says there’s no legal basis for the claim by the attorney general that the actions of Fondomonte are violating any state water laws. Instead, Mayes is trying to convince Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Minder that the company is creating a “public nuisance” by draining water from the aquifer.
But the real purpose behind the new court filing, Brown said, is the fear that if the attorney general wins in court, “this case is just the beginning.”
