Snowbowl construction postponed

Jul 26, 2010 — The Arizona Daily Sun

Jul. 24, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Both sides in the ongoing legal case over snowmaking with reclaimed wastewater at Arizona Snowbowl have an agreement that construction will not start until at Aug. 30 at the earliest.

The new legal case now in federal court questions the safety of using reclaimed wastewater to make snow.

That lawsuit has yet to be decided, and could be appealed to a higher court.

But Snowbowl is asking the Flagstaff City Council to use drinking water for making snow instead of reclaimed water.

If the council were to go that route, the current lawsuit would be irrelevant.

The city water commission is meeting July 29 to consider the proposal and make a recommendation to the council, which likely would take up the matter in mid-August.

As part of the agreement, Snowbowl can continue submitting plans to the Forest Service for construction, as it may take months for the Forest Service to approve specific plans.

Employees on the Coconino National Forest don't know when they'd approve them, however.

"The timeline for when these projects could actually begin construction is unknown. I would venture to say that the timeline for all future projects they propose will be mostly unknown, as each project must undergo review and approval by the Forest Service -- and the time it takes to complete that process is dictated by personnel availability, complexity of the project, and tribal consultation," said Coconino National Forest spokesman Brady Smith.

As of July, Snowbowl had proposed adding 100- and 300-foot conveyor lifts (similar to conveyor belts) for beginners and:

--expanding two ski trails

--constructing water pipeline for snowmaking, to continue through the winter

--expanding Agassiz Lodge

The Coconino National Forest has not cleared any parts of the project for construction to date, saying it needs specific construction plans.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0065-47282342