Flagstaff council delays vote on snowmaking source

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – Hundreds of people filled a school auditorium Monday for a hearing on what has become one of the most contentious issues in this mountain city – producing artificial snow.
But as the hourslong debate drew closer to midnight, councilors agreed to take up a vote at a different date. By that time, about 100 people remained.
The city entered into a contract with the Arizona Snowbowl eight years ago to supply 552 acre feet per year of treated wastewater to the ski resort for snowmaking. A proposal before the council would have swapped that water for drinking-quality water, used a combination of the two water sources or left the contract as is.
The meeting made for a polarizing debate among American Indians who consider the San Francisco Peaks sacred and warned the council that its relationship with tribes in the area would suffer if snowmaking moved forward.
Hopis direct prayers toward the San Francisco Peaks and consider the mountain range home to the spiritual Kachinas that bring the world water, snow and life. To the Navajo, the peaks are central to their creation story. Navajo members consider the mountains family and greet the peaks daily with prayer songs.
“Asking us if we are willing to negotiate our relationship with Doko'oo'sliid is like asking us to turn our back on a family member or an unborn child,” said Navajo Vice President Ben Shelly.
American Indian tribes fought the snowmaking plan for years in court, public meetings, and one tried unsuccessfully to buy the resort as a way to protect the mountain they consider sacred. Tribal leaders remained adamant they would oppose snowmaking regardless of the water source – though city manager Kevin Burke said that topic was not up for debate.
“The decision to sell water was made in 2002, so there's not a new decision to be made on whether to sell it or not,” he said.
Others in the audience expressed support for snowmaking by wearing stickers that read, “Vote Snow.” Snowbowl owners have touted snowmaking as necessary to ensure the ski resort's survival and provide a boost to the local economy.
The Rev. Bill Guise, a downhill skier, said he also relates to the mountain on a spiritual level, but he said the religious debate ended when the tribes lost a yearslong court battle.
“No matter what you offer, what you decide, what you think, they (tribes) are not happy,” he said. “My sympathies end somewhere around 2006.”
If the council chooses the more expensive drinking-quality water, Snowbowl owners say snowmaking equipment could be in place for the 2011-12 ski season. If it sticks with the treated wastewater, snowmaking opponents, Snowbowl owners and the U.S. Forest Service could see more of each other in court.
A lawsuit pending in federal court in Arizona contends the Forest Service failed to consider the human health risks of ingesting artificial snow made with reclaimed wastewater.
The city is considering using drinking-quality water at the urging of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under the belief that it would be less offensive to tribes. That proved not to be the case.
Flagstaff-area residents also raised concerns about the future of the city's water supply if drinking water were surrendered, saying it undermines the city's water conservation efforts at a time of drought.
The missing voice was the USDA, which withheld the permit for construction of snowmaking equipment for a year while trying to forge a compromise among the parties. When talks of the Navajo Nation buying the ski resort for $49 million fell through, the USDA suggested the use of drinking-quality water.
The amount of water wouldn't change with the alternate water source, but it would cost about $11 million more if the Snowbowl used every drop of its allocation over the life of the contract. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has offered to offset the cost of the more expensive water, though no formal commitment has been made.
A city water commission followed the footsteps of the USDA in supporting the use of either treated wastewater or allowing that same water to percolate into the ground and be pumped through city wells before reaching the Snowbowl.