"Arizona Atty. Gen. Kris Mayes announced the binding legal agreement with Minnesota-based dairy company Riverview LLP on Thursday, calling it the first of its kind in the nation. "This settlement sets a new precedent in Arizona - one where businesses commit to being good neighbors to the communities they operate in and make meaningful efforts to reduce pumping of our most precious resource," Mayes said. "Today's announcement is an immediate and concrete action to address the increasingly dangerous depletion of groundwater in rural parts of our state.""
"Groundwater levels have been dropping rapidly over the last decade in the Willcox area in southeastern Arizona, where Riverview runs a giant dairy and farming operation. The company started buying land in the area in 2014 and owns more than 37,000 acres. In 2019, an Arizona Republic investigation revealed the company had 420 wells, some drilled nearly half a mile deep. Riverview has supplied its expanding dairy operation with cattle feed by growing wheat, alfalfa and corn."
Groundwater levels in the Willcox area of southeastern Arizona have dropped rapidly over the past decade, causing some residents' wells to run dry and forcing use of tanks and trucked-in water. Riverview LLP, a Minnesota-based dairy that owns more than 37,000 acres and had about 420 wells, will phase out irrigation on 2,000 acres in phases within 12 years. The company will contribute $11 million to two funds to help residents, schools and local water systems pay for replacement wells or install tanks. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes called the binding agreement a precedent and an immediate action to address dangerous groundwater depletion. Riverview stated it values land and water stewardship.
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