Page 22 - NSAA 2017 Fall Journal

5 Integration fig. 2
Telling the ‘No Yellow Snow’ Story
How am I going to integrate a new reclaimed
water snowmaking system into my resort’s operation and
maintenance business structure? Most people are well-informed about the safety,
Scope cost of time and feasibility of training to incorporate practicality, and appropriateness of using reclaimed
an entirely new snowmaking water supply into existing water for snowmaking. Even so, resorts should be
operations and maintenance. Who will need to be retrained? prepared to respond to concerns about the clean-
What financial mechanisms will need to be in place to liness and quality of the snow, and develop a clear
maintain the new facilities and equipment? communications/PR strategy designed to quell
any misgivings about skiing and snowboarding on
6 Permitting surfaces made from reclaimed water. Here are some
Do I know what the permitting process is for this
talking points to consider:
kind of project?
Do your homework. What are the necessary permits to get · Explain that the water has undergone treat-
your project approved? What is the timeline and procedure ment, and will continue to be monitored and
required to get the permits completed? regulated by the local utilities company to
ensure it is safe to use for snowmaking.
7 Business Model · Make sure to clarify that the quality of snow
How am I going to work with my utility to set an
affordable and fair price for the reclaimed water? made from reclaimed water is no different
Develop a healthy business relationship with your local water than the quality of snow made with surface
utility. Are you able to set up a long-term rate structure at an water or recycled water. Point out that it is
affordable price for the reclaimed water? never recommended to ingest snow made
from any of these sources.
8 Communications/PR · Correlate your resort’s decision to use
How am I going to ensure that my resort garners
public support for this reclaimed water project? reclaimed water with its overall commitment
Get ahead of bad press and miscommunications. There is to sustainability.
a lot of misinformation out there about reclaimed water
and whether it is safe for human contact. How do people in · Cite how many gallons of water your area will
your community feel about using reclaimed water on your save each season and any other associated
mountain? Try to garner public support far in advance of environmental benefits.
any permitting or public approval process (see figure 2).
· Emphasize that your ski area would not make
the investment in this technology if it wasn’t
Look Ahead: Climate Adaptation safe—for customers, for employees, and
Reclaimed water for snowmaking is an economic and for you too—or if it provided a substandard
environmental opportunity that more and more ski resorts surface on the slopes; that would be com-
will be utilizing in the coming decades. In order to prepare pletely counterproductive to your goal of
for climate change and the potential risk of unplanned, providing exceptional skiing and riding experi-
midseason closures, it is in ski resorts’ best interests to secure ences for everyone.
reliable, drought-proof, and inexpensive water sources.
Without water sources such as these for snowmaking, resorts · Point out that while the ski industry has been
are vulnerable to a potentially decreasing season length over slow to embrace this technology, other rec-
the next 30 years. reation industries have been using reclaimed
As NSAA President Michael Berry pointed out in water for years, notably golf courses, school
The Path to Growth (provided with the summer issue and playgrounds, and public parks that use recy-
available on nsaa.org), “The percent of resorts reporting
cled water for irrigation.
unplanned closures has risen significantly over the past 12

20 | NSAA JOURNAL | FALL 2017