Environmental activist group The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court against Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke alleging groundwater supplies in Benson are too low to support planned major developments and projects were approved using outdated data.
The Villages at Vigneto, a 13,000-acre master-planned community that will have 28,000 homes, a golf course and multiple other developments if built, is central to the lawsuit. CBD alleges the Benson’s groundwater supply is insufficient to meet regulatory minimums.
In order to build the Vigneto housing component, a 100-year supply is required. The complaint alleges ADWR’s approval for Villages at Vigneto (also referred to as The Village of Vigneto) was based on a 2008 water designation. It claims designations must be reviewed after 15 years or if new information becomes available, both of which CBD says apply in Benson.
The litigation seeks to have the Court order ADWR to review the designation to determine if it should be revoked or modified.
In addition to the Vigneto project, a company called Aluminum Dynamics also plans to build an aluminum processing plant in Benson, which CBD claims will further impact groundwater supplies.
CBD alleges harm to Benson’s groundwater supply will contribute to depletion of the San Pedro River, which is the last free-flowing river in the desert Southwest, and could harm the federally protected San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. (Source)