Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said a settlement agreement between Arizona and a Minnesota-based dairy farming company will change groundwater policy across the state.
The deal — which Mayes’ office described as the first of its kind in Arizona and the U.S. — will require Riverview LLP to spend $11 million for southern Arizona residents affected by Riverview’s water use practices at its operations south of Willcox, Arizona, about 90 miles southeast of Tucson.
That money will pay for well-drilling, water hauling and groundwater access for the residents who have lost access to groundwater. Half the money will go to the Sulfur Springs Water Fund (SSWF) to help residents impacted outside a 1.6-mile radius of a Riverview irrigation well. The other half will go to the Riverview Funding Commitment to help those within that radius who were affected. Funds are also available to five designated schools in the area.
“This settlement sets a new precedent in Arizona,” Mayes said in a statement.
