The U.S. Forest Service will soon decide whether to
allow the owners of an Arizona ski resort to create artificial snow
from the city of Flagstaff’s treated wastewater.
Since 1937, recreational refugees from Phoenix and Flagstaff have
enjoyed the 777-acre Arizona Snowbowl ski area in the San Francisco
Peaks. On average, the resort gets 260 inches of snow a year, but
the amount can vary drastically. During the 2001-2002 season, only
87 inches fell, and the slopes were closed for all but four days.
J.R. Murray, the Snowbowl’s general manager, says
that without supplemental snow, the sustainability of the resort
comes into serious question.
But 13 American Indian
tribes, for whom the mountains are sacred, oppose the plan to use
treated wastewater (HCN, 7/7/97: Get Your Ash Off Our Mountain).
“In our opinion, it violates the sanctity of the peaks,” says Leigh
J. Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office
in Kykotsmovi, Ariz.
The tribes have also asked the
Forest Service to better assess the cumulative impacts of the
wastewater on the ecosystem. Reclaimed wastewater from Flagstaff
already irrigates community golf courses, athletic fields and
cemeteries. “The water is almost drinking quality,” says Raquel
Poturalski, Coconino Forest public affairs officer.
However, some studies show trace amounts of chemicals such as
steroids and estrogen, says Bob Hart, programs manager for the
Flagstaff U.S. Geological Survey office. “It’s a relatively
new area of water quality that requires more study,” he says.
Nora Rasure, Coconino National Forest supervisor, could
issue the record of decision as soon as the beginning of March.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Snowmaking on sacred slopes stirs controversy.
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