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KEYSTONE - Vail Resorts officials and an environmental consultant are debunking a report that said snowmaking at Keystone Resort is negatively impacting water quality in the Snake River - and tourism.
The report, written by a team from University of Colorado (CU) and the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCOG), said the resort is making snow from contaminated Snake River water and blowing it onto pristine slopes.
It was published in the fall edition of Eos, a scientific journal.
Some of the article's conclusions were based on a water quality study conducted by Hydrosphere Resource Consultants of Boulder.
The study outlined the impacts of heavy metals on the quality of water used for snowmaking.
But Hydrosphere project manager Bob Weaver said CU and NWCOG misrepresented the findings of his study in their report.
"The CU article indicates we found significant or severe impacts," Weaver said. "That's the implication you get. But the fact of the matter is we couldn't find any severe impacts."
Mike Lee, spokesman for Keystone Resort, agreed.
"The results were taken out of context," Lee said. "It was almost to the point we felt like they were trying to prove a point as opposed to doing a true scientific study."
NWCOG officials could not be reached for comment over the holidays.
The Snake River has long been contaminated with metals that seep down from inactive mines, the most notorious of which is the Pennsylvania Mine.
Spring runoff leaches metals down the various gulches in the Snake River Valley and deposits the metals in the river.
Hydrosphere's study, paid for by the resort and directed by the U.S. Forest Service, indicates zinc is the only heavy metal in the stream at the diversion where Keystone takes water for snowmaking.
And its levels are substantially lower - barely measurable - than what is the accepted standards for both agriculture and drinking water, Weaver said.
He noted that water used for snowmaking is further diluted by water the resort takes from Dillon Reservoir via the Montezuma Shaft, which taps into the Roberts Tunnel.
Zinc levels in the water are 350 to 400 micorgrams per liter (µg/L). The agricultural standard - including that used for golf courses - is 2,000 µg/L. Drinking water standards are 5,000 µg/L, Weaver said.
The primary concern with zinc in the water is its impact on mayflies, which are sensitive to all metals. But the insect also is extremely sensitive to habitat alterations, including erosion, roads and other on-mountain construction.
Weaver said it's difficult to determine if the zinc or habitat alterations are what most affect the mayfly.
Weaver also takes issue with the study's statement that while zinc is in the water used for snowmaking, it is absorbed by organic material in the soil during the spring runoff.
That soil further filters out the metal so that by the time spring runoff begins, only 15 to 20 percent of the metal put on the mountain returns to the stream, according to Weaver.
"It's manageable," he said. "It's not a constraint at this time."
Another concern Weaver and Vail Resorts officials had with the article was the statement that zinc was adversely affecting summertime activities, including rafting, golfing and fishing.
"That totally misrepresents the situation in the Snake River," Weaver said, citing areas where fish are stocked and fished. "It hasn't interfered with golf at all. And there is no rafting on the Snake River; it's too small."
He attributes the errors to misinterpretations.
"We thought they hadn't read it very carefully or misinterpreted the results," said Weaver. "We called, and they were sort of apologetic about some of the terminology used."
He added that Hydrosphere has submitted a response to Eos, but it has yet to be published.
Jane Stebbins can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 228, or jstebbins@summitdaily.com.
The report, written by a team from University of Colorado (CU) and the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCOG), said the resort is making snow from contaminated Snake River water and blowing it onto pristine slopes.
It was published in the fall edition of Eos, a scientific journal.
Some of the article's conclusions were based on a water quality study conducted by Hydrosphere Resource Consultants of Boulder.
The study outlined the impacts of heavy metals on the quality of water used for snowmaking.
But Hydrosphere project manager Bob Weaver said CU and NWCOG misrepresented the findings of his study in their report.
"The CU article indicates we found significant or severe impacts," Weaver said. "That's the implication you get. But the fact of the matter is we couldn't find any severe impacts."
Mike Lee, spokesman for Keystone Resort, agreed.
"The results were taken out of context," Lee said. "It was almost to the point we felt like they were trying to prove a point as opposed to doing a true scientific study."
NWCOG officials could not be reached for comment over the holidays.
The Snake River has long been contaminated with metals that seep down from inactive mines, the most notorious of which is the Pennsylvania Mine.
Spring runoff leaches metals down the various gulches in the Snake River Valley and deposits the metals in the river.
Hydrosphere's study, paid for by the resort and directed by the U.S. Forest Service, indicates zinc is the only heavy metal in the stream at the diversion where Keystone takes water for snowmaking.
And its levels are substantially lower - barely measurable - than what is the accepted standards for both agriculture and drinking water, Weaver said.
He noted that water used for snowmaking is further diluted by water the resort takes from Dillon Reservoir via the Montezuma Shaft, which taps into the Roberts Tunnel.
Zinc levels in the water are 350 to 400 micorgrams per liter (µg/L). The agricultural standard - including that used for golf courses - is 2,000 µg/L. Drinking water standards are 5,000 µg/L, Weaver said.
The primary concern with zinc in the water is its impact on mayflies, which are sensitive to all metals. But the insect also is extremely sensitive to habitat alterations, including erosion, roads and other on-mountain construction.
Weaver said it's difficult to determine if the zinc or habitat alterations are what most affect the mayfly.
Weaver also takes issue with the study's statement that while zinc is in the water used for snowmaking, it is absorbed by organic material in the soil during the spring runoff.
That soil further filters out the metal so that by the time spring runoff begins, only 15 to 20 percent of the metal put on the mountain returns to the stream, according to Weaver.
"It's manageable," he said. "It's not a constraint at this time."
Another concern Weaver and Vail Resorts officials had with the article was the statement that zinc was adversely affecting summertime activities, including rafting, golfing and fishing.
"That totally misrepresents the situation in the Snake River," Weaver said, citing areas where fish are stocked and fished. "It hasn't interfered with golf at all. And there is no rafting on the Snake River; it's too small."
He attributes the errors to misinterpretations.
"We thought they hadn't read it very carefully or misinterpreted the results," said Weaver. "We called, and they were sort of apologetic about some of the terminology used."
He added that Hydrosphere has submitted a response to Eos, but it has yet to be published.
Jane Stebbins can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 228, or jstebbins@summitdaily.com.
