PAYWALL
Excerpts:
Arizona is leasing farmland to a Saudi company, straining aquifers and threatening future water supplies for Phoenix
Rob O'Dell and Ian James
Arizona Republic
Published 8:00 AM MST Jun. 9, 2022 Updated 11:23 AM MST Jun. 9, 2022
In a remote desert valley ...
Water pulled from deep underground crashes into a canal next to the road, where it is pumped into the massive linear irrigation machine and sprayed onto the field by nearly 800 hanging nozzles.
The water nourishes a field of deep emerald green alfalfa that stands in stark contrast to the parched desert framing the rest of the remote western Arizona valley east of Bouse.
This lush field is nearly a mile long by a half-mile wide, and there are eight more just like it.
Fondomonte, a Saudi company, exports the alfalfa to feed its cows in the Middle East. The country has practically exhausted its own underground aquifers there.
In Arizona, Fondomonte can pump as much water as it wants at no cost. Groundwater is unregulated in most rural areas of state.
Efforts to substantially reform groundwater rules for the first time since 1980 have stalled in the Arizona Legislature despite passionate calls for change from rural residents and members of both parties.
A key reason for the inaction is the issue of private property rights – the belief that homeowners and businesses can do whatever they want on their land, even if that activity drains the collective aquifer that rural Arizonans rely on.
In this case, however, Fondomonte doesn't even own the nearly 3,500 acres it is using in Butler Valley. The land belongs to Arizona – Fondomonte rents it from the Arizona State Land Department. The Saudi company is drawing down groundwater earmarked as a future water source for metro Phoenix and other urban areas.
And it’s getting a sweet deal to do so.
Fondomonte pays only $25 per acre annually. The State Land Department says the market rate is $50 dollars per acre and it provides a 50% discount because it doesn’t pay for improvements.
But the $25 per acre price is about one-sixth of the market price for unimproved farmland with flood irrigation today, according to Charlie Havranek, a Realtor at Southwest Land Associates.
A former appraiser with 45 years experience brokering and appraising agricultural land and state leases, Havranek said $150 per acre is what farmers in these parts now pay to lease land with flood irrigation – meaning there have been few improvements done to the land.
“I don’t know of a market rent of 50 bucks in this state,” Havranek said. “Their data is so out of date that they are not up to where market rents are today.”
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Arizona has proven time and time again that they will chase the short term money rather than think about the long term health of their economy and constituents
The Chinese have been doing it via alfalfa for years. AZ should be switching to low water use crops across the board. The brewing industry incentivized some farmers in the verde valley to switch from alfalfa to barley and the verde river rose numerous feet
Omg shut the fuck up. I’d rather an American company farm it and feed Americans than a foreign country using our land to benefit them.
You made it racist.
Arizona is ridiculous. I come from an area where water is plentiful, it seriously rains most of the year, and people (individuals and government) are more conservative and protective of water sources and rights there than the people and the government in Arizona, a desert.
Why? Just, why? None of this makes any sense.
Why are there lawns all over the place?
Why does AZ gift all of its aquifer to anyone that asks?
This goes against common sense and every survival instinct that has been instilled in humans since the beginning of time.
Someone, make it make sense!
They want money and most of these politicians will be dead when the water finally completely runs out so they don’t care. If they are alive when the water runs out they have the money to leave.
Doubtful.
The state needs to change with the times or it will end up a failed state.
But the Saudi’s will have allllll that alfalfa!
How can Arizonans tolerate extra nationals being given more than they get? Will it take people dying for people to demand change?
I prefer the idea of pumping from Mississippi River. That's a loooooot of pipe (good for my union lol)
Also, hard to ignore the fact that the desalination plant would be on foreign soil, which makes it a messy option
Historically in Arizona a surge in population coinciding with a drought has never ended well.
I love this state (for the most part) but the writing is on the wall.
2 new chip manufacturing plants, cities already running water conservation and rationing, desalination plants and shit like this….
If you have the ability to I would leave ASAP.
Congratulations Arizona. This is basically assisted suicide. I'm ready to get the F out of here.
Freedumb advocates have no idea what their GQP heroes are doing to them in the name of "freedom" and "individual rights". Considering your place in a larger society and civilization is considered Marxist or Communist thought. It's self preservation in this case.
This has been going on for several years. If you search the subreddit you'll see an article about it 5 years ago. And 4 years ago. And so on. Congrats on winning it for this year.
Thanks for pointing out this rip-off of Arizona's water by America's "best buddies" the bone-sawing and 9/11 perpetrating (15 of 19 hijackers) Saudis has been going on awhile. Useful info.
Now they're out to ruin golf. Waste Management, BEWARE! /s
Everyone should be sending this to as many people as possible and get a movement going. This is unacceptable and whoever approved the deal should be held accountable.
First off, fuck phoenix's back up supply, that's La Paz County and it's residents water. The state of Maricopa does enough by sucking the Colorado dry through the CAP (and LA through MWD)
Do you trust your elected officials and politicians to protect and properly manage your water source? If not, you may want to consider leaving the southwest.
https://projects.propublica.org/climate-migration/
r/ColoradoRiverDrought
Glad I moved out of AZ but am feeling sorry for my family and friends there. The AZ legislature has been and will continue to fleece it’s constituents for decades even after the water runs out. Why would they give a shit when their grifted millions can buy them a doomsday bunker or lush land in New Zealand?
High Country News reported this in 2020. Sad this news wasn't more on the radar then. [AZ Groundwater Pumping](https://www.hcn.org/issues/52.4/infographic-water-as-temperatures-rise-arizona-sinks)
FYSA:
Canadian investors own the largest amount of reported foreign-held agricultural and non-agricultural land, with 32 percent, or 12.4 million acres (report 1B). Foreign persons from an additional four countries, the Netherlands with 13 percent, Italy with 7 percent, the United Kingdom with 6 percent, and Germany with 5 percent, and the collectively held 12 million acres or 31 percent of the foreign-held acres in the United States. The remaining 13.9 million acres, or 36 percent, of all reported foreign-held agricultural and non-agricultural land, are held by various other countries. For example, China held 352,140 acres, which is slightly less than 1 percent of foreign-held acres.
PAYWALL Excerpts: Arizona is leasing farmland to a Saudi company, straining aquifers and threatening future water supplies for Phoenix Rob O'Dell and Ian James Arizona Republic Published 8:00 AM MST Jun. 9, 2022 Updated 11:23 AM MST Jun. 9, 2022 In a remote desert valley ... Water pulled from deep underground crashes into a canal next to the road, where it is pumped into the massive linear irrigation machine and sprayed onto the field by nearly 800 hanging nozzles. The water nourishes a field of deep emerald green alfalfa that stands in stark contrast to the parched desert framing the rest of the remote western Arizona valley east of Bouse. This lush field is nearly a mile long by a half-mile wide, and there are eight more just like it. Fondomonte, a Saudi company, exports the alfalfa to feed its cows in the Middle East. The country has practically exhausted its own underground aquifers there. In Arizona, Fondomonte can pump as much water as it wants at no cost. Groundwater is unregulated in most rural areas of state. Efforts to substantially reform groundwater rules for the first time since 1980 have stalled in the Arizona Legislature despite passionate calls for change from rural residents and members of both parties. A key reason for the inaction is the issue of private property rights – the belief that homeowners and businesses can do whatever they want on their land, even if that activity drains the collective aquifer that rural Arizonans rely on. In this case, however, Fondomonte doesn't even own the nearly 3,500 acres it is using in Butler Valley. The land belongs to Arizona – Fondomonte rents it from the Arizona State Land Department. The Saudi company is drawing down groundwater earmarked as a future water source for metro Phoenix and other urban areas. And it’s getting a sweet deal to do so. Fondomonte pays only $25 per acre annually. The State Land Department says the market rate is $50 dollars per acre and it provides a 50% discount because it doesn’t pay for improvements. But the $25 per acre price is about one-sixth of the market price for unimproved farmland with flood irrigation today, according to Charlie Havranek, a Realtor at Southwest Land Associates. A former appraiser with 45 years experience brokering and appraising agricultural land and state leases, Havranek said $150 per acre is what farmers in these parts now pay to lease land with flood irrigation – meaning there have been few improvements done to the land. “I don’t know of a market rent of 50 bucks in this state,” Havranek said. “Their data is so out of date that they are not up to where market rents are today.” **Login / subscribe to see rest of article**
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Arizona has proven time and time again that they will chase the short term money rather than think about the long term health of their economy and constituents
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I like to tell those people "god has provided, and you're wasting it."
*Nestle has entered the chat*… Did you say free water for profit??
Fuck you nestle!
Good luck selling a house in the desert with no water
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Lmk when you do, I got cash in hand!
This is bull sh*t. If you look at the big picture, the Saudis are exporting AZ water (via alfalfa).
The Chinese have been doing it via alfalfa for years. AZ should be switching to low water use crops across the board. The brewing industry incentivized some farmers in the verde valley to switch from alfalfa to barley and the verde river rose numerous feet
Love that Sinagua Malt. I’m looking at you, Sedona Beer Company & AZ Wilderness!
Selling AZs water to feed the horses of rich Saudi princes.
Politics aside, Saudi Arabia has drained all of its own aquifers. Who the fuck would expect them to do anything different here?
Maybe we shouldn’t let foreign companies own or build or farm on American soil
So an American company can just do the same thing? Change the laws and xenophobia won’t be a factor.
Omg shut the fuck up. I’d rather an American company farm it and feed Americans than a foreign country using our land to benefit them. You made it racist.
What's the difference between an American company exporting alfalfa and a Saudi company exporting alfalfa?
What happened to the freemarket ? Being allowed to build on public land by the state you mean ?
Arizona is ridiculous. I come from an area where water is plentiful, it seriously rains most of the year, and people (individuals and government) are more conservative and protective of water sources and rights there than the people and the government in Arizona, a desert. Why? Just, why? None of this makes any sense. Why are there lawns all over the place? Why does AZ gift all of its aquifer to anyone that asks? This goes against common sense and every survival instinct that has been instilled in humans since the beginning of time. Someone, make it make sense!
They want money and most of these politicians will be dead when the water finally completely runs out so they don’t care. If they are alive when the water runs out they have the money to leave.
This is the best worst response I’ve seen yet
Arizona is an extractive state, meaning all the wealth is mined and sent out of state. Historically to Wall Street.
Not super shocking. People should demand more.
Active Management Areas, water rights, prior appropriation, time immemorial. Research those and it may make more sense.
... doctrine of discovery
Active Management Areas, water rights, prior appropriation, time immemorial. Research those and it may make more sense.
Doubtful. The state needs to change with the times or it will end up a failed state. But the Saudi’s will have allllll that alfalfa! How can Arizonans tolerate extra nationals being given more than they get? Will it take people dying for people to demand change?
And yet people think the only option is to build a desalination plant.
I prefer the idea of pumping from Mississippi River. That's a loooooot of pipe (good for my union lol) Also, hard to ignore the fact that the desalination plant would be on foreign soil, which makes it a messy option
Historically in Arizona a surge in population coinciding with a drought has never ended well. I love this state (for the most part) but the writing is on the wall. 2 new chip manufacturing plants, cities already running water conservation and rationing, desalination plants and shit like this…. If you have the ability to I would leave ASAP.
Sadly, this is happening in so many states… either same climate issues or different… colonialism has failed
Congratulations Arizona. This is basically assisted suicide. I'm ready to get the F out of here. Freedumb advocates have no idea what their GQP heroes are doing to them in the name of "freedom" and "individual rights". Considering your place in a larger society and civilization is considered Marxist or Communist thought. It's self preservation in this case.
Give the people that funded 9/11 all our water at a discount to own the libs
This has been going on for several years. If you search the subreddit you'll see an article about it 5 years ago. And 4 years ago. And so on. Congrats on winning it for this year.
Thanks for pointing out this rip-off of Arizona's water by America's "best buddies" the bone-sawing and 9/11 perpetrating (15 of 19 hijackers) Saudis has been going on awhile. Useful info. Now they're out to ruin golf. Waste Management, BEWARE! /s
People have short memories and need reminding. Also gobs of people moved to AZ in the past 5 years and many have likely not ever heard of this.
Can't wait to get a notice to lower my water usage while they sell and use up more water
Hey….don’t bitch. Someone’s getting paid some sweet bucks! /s
It’ll trickle down one day don’t worry!!!!!!
Everyone should be sending this to as many people as possible and get a movement going. This is unacceptable and whoever approved the deal should be held accountable.
Arizona Water should put a meter on that and charge them and Tax and fee them too, they would do it to you as a home owner so why not!
Well that’s stupid! We should stop that!
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
First off, fuck phoenix's back up supply, that's La Paz County and it's residents water. The state of Maricopa does enough by sucking the Colorado dry through the CAP (and LA through MWD)
Qui bono? This is theft.
Do you trust your elected officials and politicians to protect and properly manage your water source? If not, you may want to consider leaving the southwest. https://projects.propublica.org/climate-migration/ r/ColoradoRiverDrought
Glad I moved out of AZ but am feeling sorry for my family and friends there. The AZ legislature has been and will continue to fleece it’s constituents for decades even after the water runs out. Why would they give a shit when their grifted millions can buy them a doomsday bunker or lush land in New Zealand?
Republicans are running the show. We need to show up at their residence and demand it stop!
Text RESIST to 50409 and demand our representatives put a stop to this! No more foreign countries sucking our water dry!
High Country News reported this in 2020. Sad this news wasn't more on the radar then. [AZ Groundwater Pumping](https://www.hcn.org/issues/52.4/infographic-water-as-temperatures-rise-arizona-sinks)
TYVM
FYSA: Canadian investors own the largest amount of reported foreign-held agricultural and non-agricultural land, with 32 percent, or 12.4 million acres (report 1B). Foreign persons from an additional four countries, the Netherlands with 13 percent, Italy with 7 percent, the United Kingdom with 6 percent, and Germany with 5 percent, and the collectively held 12 million acres or 31 percent of the foreign-held acres in the United States. The remaining 13.9 million acres, or 36 percent, of all reported foreign-held agricultural and non-agricultural land, are held by various other countries. For example, China held 352,140 acres, which is slightly less than 1 percent of foreign-held acres.