The Department of Agriculture is expected to make a final decision on a controversial plan to use reclaimed wastewater in the sacred San Francisco Peaks in Arizona.

The city manager in Flagstaff said he expects approval of the Arizona Snowbowl project. The ski resort plans to use reclaimed sewage to make snow in the peaks, over the objections of several tribes.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals backed the snowmaking plan. The Obama administration withheld final approval in hopes of reaching a compromise between the ski resort and the tribes.

One idea under discussion was the use of a different water source. But representatives of the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe and the Havasupai Tribe said they continue to oppose the use of any type of water to make snow.

Get the Story:
Panel tables Snowbowl vote (The Arizona Daily Sun 5/21)
City manager recommends new Snowbowl water source (The Arizona Daily Sun 5/20)

9th Circuit Decision:
Navajo Nation v. US Forest Service (August 8, 2008)

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