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Ski area sewage plant delayed Required environment impact report won't be ready until fall, says ranger BY PAUL FATTIG ASHLAND -- The draft supplemental environmental impact statement for the proposed Ski Ashland expansion may not be out until late summer. The document, originally scheduled to be released this spring, probably won't be completed until after August, said Linda Duffy, ranger in charge of the Ashland Ranger District. The delay was caused, in part, by the fact district employees who had been working on that document have been required to respond to a lawsuit brought by the Rogue Group Sierra Club, she said. The draft EIS will evaluate the environmental impact of the project. "Given what I know today, we could have a draft EIS out by September," Duffy said, although cautioning that date is also subject to change. The draft supplemental EIS to the proposed expansion plan had already been postponed for release sometime this month. A 45-day public comment period will be held following its release. The Rogue Group last month filed a request in U.S. District Court in Portland for an injunction to block the construction of a proposed sewage treatment plant for Ski Ashland. The group alleges that the new waste treatment facility would contaminate the Ashland Creek watershed. Moreover, members say it would open the door for the controversial Ski Ashland expansion, which the group opposes on environmental grounds. Rogue Group leaders say federal law requires that the proposed new sewage facility be included in the supplemental draft EIS for the expansion project, which, among other things, would add ski runs. The group has also rejected the Mount Ashland Association's proposal to modify its sewage treatment plans in an effort to avoid a court battle. "They made us an offer to reduce the size of the drainfield, but it would still be in the same location," explained Charlotte Holzkamper, chairwoman of the Rogue Group. "We continue to say that doesn't resolve the situation. It's still illegal." It's illegal because the Forest Service has failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires an environmental impact statement for the project, she said. Holzkamper said the problem with the offer is that the modified sewage facility -- which would inclue a drainfield no larger than the current one -- remains in the watershed, which provides drinking water for Ashland, Holzkamper said. However, both Forest Service and Mount Ashland Association officials say the proposal is environmentally sound and would not violate environmental laws. They also say there is no connection between the expansion proposal and the new wastewater facility. The current sewage treatment plant, built as a temporary facility 20 years ago, is failing, Duffy said. "When it was built, it was considered a temporary situation intended to be taken care of in a few years," she said. "The DEQ (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality) said it cannot continue to operate." A court hearing on the injunction request may be held next week in Eugene, she said. "But we have not been enjoined from moving ahead, therefore we have not stopped the Mount Ashland Association," Duffy said. "They could proceed, but they have chosen to wait for the prelimintary injunction hearing. "If an injunction is not granted, they could move ahead," she added. However, the Mount Ashland Association has an agreement with the Rogue Group not to proceed with its sewage treatment facility plans until after July 26, unless the court settles the matter earlier. "We have from the very beginning done our darnedest to do best environmental job we can," said Jeff Hanson, Ski Ashland's assistant general manager. "This treatment plant is something we need whether we expand or not," he added. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA