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Council renews Snowbowl's wastewater deal

By CYNDY COLE
Sun Staff Reporter
Thursday, December 14, 2006 10:43 AM CST

Arizona Snowbowl has administratively renewed for another five years its contract with the city of Flagstaff to buy reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking, city officials said Wednesday.

The ski area plans to begin snowmaking next winter if it prevails on a legal appeal filed by tribes and environmental groups now pending in the federal courts.

If snowmaking is ultimately granted, it would mean up to 1.5 million gallons of high-grade reclaimed wastewater would be piped daily from November through February 14.8 miles from Flagstaff, across Lowell Observatory, up Snowbowl Road and into a 10 million gallon storage pond near the top of Sunset chairlift.

Snowbowl now has about 2 inches of snow accumulated from recent storms, General Manager J.R. Murray said.

"We hope that this storm coming in this weekend is sufficient" to open, he said.

But skiers would have been on the slopes a week ago if Snowbowl had snowmaking, Murray contended.

WATER QUALITY UNDER STUDY

On top of several tribes' complaints that snowmaking could degrade sacred aspects of the mountain, several of the plaintiffs in this case have also raised questions about the quality of the water.

Camp Colton, four springs in Hart Prairie, five wells and several parcels of private and Nature Conservancy land sit downhill from Arizona Snowbowl and share the same watershed, according to the forest's environmental impact statement.

Whatever water and melted snow from Snowbowl doesn't evaporate or absorb into the ground ultimately flows to the Verde and Little Colorado rivers.
The city and Coconino National Forest have found the reclaimed wastewater meets all Arizona Department of Environmental Quality standards for snowmaking.

And that same water is now being released into the Rio de Flag.

Meanwhile, the city of Flagstaff is paying a researcher to evaluate the wastewater's quality to look for potential contaminants ADEQ doesn't monitor.

NO CITY COUNCIL VOTE

Flagstaff Utilities Director Ron Doba administratively signed off on Snowbowl's contract to renew its option to purchase reclaimed water for the coming years, based on the city attorney's recommendation.

Snowbowl is able to renew its contract three times, for 5-year periods each time, according to the contract.

The issue doesn't come before City Council for a vote, just as other contracts to buy reclaimed water do not.

Snowbowl had filled out the proper application and met all the requirements in its contract, Doba said.

Those contractual obligations include or would include:

Snowmaking will be conducted at times to minimize public contact with flying snow.

Signs reading "Snow made with reclaimed wastewater; Do not eat the snow or drink melted snow" will be posted

Snowmaking will be restricted to November through February

Snowbowl must take out a $1 million insurance policy for itself and the city in order to receive the water

Snowbowl must perform a dye test to confirm reclaimed water wouldn't connect to Snowbowl's drinking water.

This case has been appealed and litigated since Coconino National Forest Supervisor Nora Rasure decided snowmaking fit with the forest's policy of allowing multiple uses -- which include woodcutting, skiing and bike riding -- in March 2005.

The latest appeal was heard in September by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Federal Judge Paul Rosenblatt affirmed Rasure's decision earlier this year.

The 9th Circuit has yet to issue a decision.

Cyndy Cole can be reached at 913-8607 or ccole@azdailysun.com.

Factoid:

The amount of water Snowbowl would use for snowmaking in a winter would fill an area the size of Buffalo Park with water more than 2 feet deep.

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