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Forest Service may hook<br>into Tusayan sewer system<br>

The U.S. Forest Service and South Grand Canyon Sanitary District took the first steps a few weeks ago toward establishing a relationship for sewer and reclaimed water services.

The Forest Service’s Doug Denk, left, goes over sewer line plans with Huff Horton of the Army Corps of Engineers.

The Forest Service compound serves as the housing area for up to 100 residents during the peak summer season, including those from other agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Public Safety and the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We have the capacity to service Moqui, if it stays there, the Forest Service compound, another 1,000 rooms in Tusayan and also the National Park Service transit center,” said Pete Shearer, board chairman. “So we have capacity without any major plant expansions.”

The park’s proposed light-rail transit system has been planned for the area, but has been de-railed because of costs. Other options have materialized.

“At this point, there’s probably a 25-percent chance this is going to happen ... unless administration or something major changes,” said Greg McGregor, who was at the June 17 meeting representing the NPS. “I don’t know if light rail is going to happen. They’re talking possibly bus transit, and the Williams option (express rail) is another option.”

Including the NPS transit station in future plans did not seem to be a problem. McGregor said moving service lines to accommodate the facility “will be pretty insignificant.” He also added that plans call for the facility to use reclaimed water and install a rain collection system.

“We’d like to see you work with the Park Service and if they’re planning to do something there, possibly partner with them,” Shearer said.

Doug Denk, Forest Service engineer, said there has been communication with the NPS. But as McGregor indicated, Denk said the park just doesn’t know what lies in its future.

As for the Forest Service’s project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be doing the actual survey and design work through an interagency agreement. Huff Horton, who works out of the Corps’ Albuquerque office, went over specific information with the sanitary district for line routes.

The Moqui Lodge area remains under the control of Xanterra Parks and Resorts until its permit expires in 2006. Thus, the system that Forest Service area residents have been discharging to will be lost. Incorporating existing disturbed areas at Moqui into future plans appears to be a possibility.

“We’ve given Apache Stables the option to stay there if they choose, but with the lagoon system going out, they’ll need to attach to that new line as well,” said Rick Stahn, Tusayan district ranger. “We’ve said for sure they can keep one residential there, I’m not sure about the other two or three, but they do need to have facilities for their customers.”

Horton, Denk and Stahn, along with the Forest Service’s Shannon Clark and Joe McCurry discussed specifics with board members Shearer, Ed Ramsey and Robbie Evans, as well as plant superintendent Bob Petzoldt during the special June 17 meeting. Details about the line route, size, jurisdiction and various costs were covered.

Besides sewer services, using reclaimed water was also explored. Running a freshwater line from Tusayan is not part of the project.

“We would love to have reclaimed water up there, but we’ll have to look at the costs,” Denk said.

The use of recycled water brought up the Forest Service’s capabilities with water storage. Shearer thought having additional water storage in the area would be a great addition to the community, mainly because it could serve as a resource to fight a forest fire. A half-million gallon storage tank already exists at Moqui Lodge, McCurry added.

“We want to try to do whatever is in your best interest,” Shearer said. “In Tusayan, we encourage recycling water because water is such a precious resource. But if your costs are going to outweigh the benefits, that’s negotiable.”

The timing of such a project appears to be at least a few years away. Clark said the earliest construction funds could be coming their way would be in 2005-06.

“We may have to do this in stages and it would probably take us two to three years to fund it that way,” Clark said.

The FAA would be obligated to pay for a portion because of the number of houses they maintain on site.

“The real goal with this is to create a region-wide solution,” Shearer said. “You are outside our (district) boundaries, so we would just have an agreement with you under the rules and regulations ADEQ puts upon us ....”

Denk said the Forest Service will meet with the Corps’ Horton to “sit down and make some decisions” while narrowing down the project’s options.

The sanitary district held its regular monthly meeting the previous week. Highlights from the June 11 regular meeting included:

• The board approved 4-0 (Robbie Evans absent) the 2003-04 budget, which features operating costs of $721,200.

• The board learned that the co-regeneration plant feasibility study is moving forward with the acquisition of a Forest Service grant of $28,000. Arizona Public Service has committed another $25,000 grant. The district decided to set up an account to accommodate those funds and move forward with the study.


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