Arizona Ski Area’s Water Plans Worry Tribes

For residents of sun-drenched Phoenix, the quickest route to skiing and snowboarding is a two-hour drive to this northern Arizona community -- if there’s snow, that is.

Arizona Snowbowl, which sits in the Coconino National Forest outside Flagstaff, has hosted skiers in search of powder since 1938. But the drought gripping Arizona has meant hardly any skiing in some recent seasons.

Snowbowl’s operators hope to change that with the addition of snowmaking equipment, pitting them against tribes and environmentalists in a dispute that the U.S. Forest Service will decide in the next month or two.

Snowbowl wants to operate the equipment with reclaimed city wastewater to offset dry years and to lay bases in good years. It has also asked the Forest Service to allow it to upgrade lifts, build new trails and build an area for sledders.

Coconino National Forest officials have already identified that proposal as their preferred choice, compared to allowing no development or allowing expansion but not snowmaking equipment. Whatever decision is made, it will likely be appealed administratively and could end up in court, detractors say.

J.R. Murray, Snowbowl’s general manager, said Snowbowl needs snowmaking equipment to be competitive, and the current owners have indicated that they will try to sell the resort if they can’t get permission to make the addition.

Snowbowl is enjoying a good season this winter, as El Nino-driven storms have brought consistent snow to the San Francisco Peaks. The ski area opened Thanksgiving weekend. But during the ongoing drought, snowfalls have been inconsistent from year to year, and Snowbowl has been open as few as four days an entire season, Murray said.

However, environmentalists and American Indian tribes have objected to the addition of snowmaking equipment, in part because of its use of reclaimed wastewater. Reclaimed water is commonly used in Arizona to water golf courses and parks and recharge groundwater aquifers.

Ski areas elsewhere have used reclaimed water blended with fresh water, but Snowbowl would be the first to use reclaimed water alone, Murray said.

The issue is particularly sensitive for Indian tribes that hold the peaks sacred. Various ceremonial sites dot the peaks area, and native healers often gather plants here. The Hopi believe that Kachinas live in the San Francisco Peaks. Kachinas, messengers who take prayers to the Creator, bring rain and snow, said Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office.

“The paradigm is so different. One elder said, ‘Are we now playing God?’ ” Kuwanwisiwma said. “Will the Kachina spirits feel rejected? If they feel that rejection, does it mean they will no longer give us that blessing?”

Tribes and environmental groups have opposed Snowbowl for decades, contending that it desecrates a sacred site and mars a unique environment.

Andy Bessler of the Sierra Club said he’s concerned about what the reclaimed water would do to the soil. The group believes that it should be used for groundwater recharge rather than snowmaking. He also said cutting trees to expand trails and other infrastructure is a concern in a forest that’s been hit hard by years of drought.

Murray argues, however, that the ski area affects just 1% of the peaks’ area.