Background
Situation Today. . .
Arizona Snowbowl’s current plan involves making snow during the ski seasons. The water to make this artificial snow is proposed to be treated sewage effluent and requires the participation of the City of Flagstaff. In a desperate attempt to make a profit the resort proposed to use ground water, the source of drinking water for Flagstaff residents, to make snow which was voted down by the Flagstaff City Council. The ground water option would place the City of Flagstaff in a more vulnerable position during drought periods which may translate to higher water prices for Flagstaff.
Treated sewage effluent (reclaimed wastewater) has been scientifically proven to contain: endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals, personal care product chemicals, viable but non-culturable bacteria and using viral metagenomics researchers found that some 60% of the DNA viral sequences in treated sewage effluent was from unknown viruses. What this means is that we do not fully understand the impacts or know what else is in treated sewage effluent. This leaves the treated sewage effluent option as environmentally unsound in addition to having potential negative impacts on the health of Flagstaff resident skiers and snowboarders.
Additionally, snowmaking is a concern since it is considered outside of the natural order of the Creator; thus, it is offensive to Indigenous Peoples which hold and continue to hold the San Francisco Peaks as a holy mountain which is indivisible from their way of life and their sacred foundation.