Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration on Monday announced two steps to stop a controversial Saudi Arabian company from using groundwater beneath state land in western Arizona to grow and export alfalfa.

Hobbs said in a statement that the Arizona State Land Department had canceled one of its leases to Fondomonte Arizona, and would not renew three others that are set to expire in February.

  • Salamendacious@lemmy.worldOP
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    1 year ago

    In the past there were enormous aquifers below the surface. The water was under so much pressure that you could tap it and it would erupt like a geyser. So for generations farmers in these areas had what they thought was unlimited water. Now those aquifers are empty or nearly empty and these farmers are resistant to that reality.

    • dumdum666@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Of course no one wants to face this devastating reality…

      In the end it will probably be a large wealth transfer from the states without groundwater to the ones that still have groundwater. Farmers will have to buy land in the groundwater states and the land in the dry states will be practically worthless.

      • Salamendacious@lemmy.worldOP
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        1 year ago

        I’m a true believer in technology so I’m hopeful that there will be considerable innovation in desalinization so we can continue to farm in arid areas.

        • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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          1 year ago

          Desalinization would only work in getting Los Angeles and San Diego off of Colorado River water.

          The big money right now is in sewage treatment. There are several treatment plants in inland cities which treat their sewage water so that it can either be used for agricultural purposes or even get recycled as potable water.

            • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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              1 year ago

              One of the more documented cases is the Intel chip plant in Chandler. Intel’s plant treats its effluent to potable standards and pumps the water into the local aquifer to store it. Intel has a lot of water there.

        • JJROKCZ@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Or we could just not live in the desert, living in biomes suitable to us and wasting fewer resources is more viable

              • Salamendacious@lemmy.worldOP
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                1 year ago

                Maybe. (1) I don’t think there’s the political will to enact anything like that & (2) I don’t think that would entice as many people as you think. People get really attached to their home. These areas are growing. The population in the southwest has grown over 11% in the last decade and it’s projected to continue to grow.

              • RedAggroBest@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Doesn’t address the entire cities already there. We ain’t forcing entire cities to just abandon ship.

                It’s far more useful if we talk about actually making what’s already there sustainable rather than some authoritarian march out of the deserts.