Sedona AZ (May 8, 2013) – Written by Charles Mosley, City of Sedona Public Works Director and City Engineer, the following SedonaEye.com article was submitted by the City of Sedona government:
Why was the 27-acre Sedona Wetlands Preserve constructed?
Many may be surprised to learn that the primary purpose of the Sedona Wetlands Preserve is not recreation. The wetlands were constructed as part of a process to increase the treatment plant’s ability to manage larger amounts of effluent. Effluent is the cleaned and disinfected water that remains at the end of the wastewater treatment process. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality does not allow unrestricted contact with this water. This is the reason there are signs around the wetlands telling people not to use the water.
The wetlands are part of the effluent management project. Currently, the City produces about 1.1 million to 1.2 million gallons of effluent per day. That amount could eventually reach 2.0 million gallons per day. As designed and operated, the current effluent management system has a limitation of about 1.4 million gallons per day. Recognizing that the research and development process for increasing this capacity could take many years, in 2006, the City employed the firm of Burgess and Niple to investigate various approaches.
Sedona effluent ponds
The City Council approved investigation of the use of wetlands and injection wells on the current plant site. The firm of Carollo Engineers was employed to conduct the investigation and make recommendations about the minimum amount of wetlands and injection needed for a 2.0 million gallon effluent management process.
Carollo advised that developing the information needed to make the recommendation would require constructing trial wetlands and a trial injection well. They also advised that information from the trial systems and the currently used spray irrigation system would need to be collected, in order to develop a model to determine how to manage the effluent.Construction of the Sedona Wetlands Preserve began in October of 2011 and was complete by July 2012. It cost almost two million dollars to design and construct. The Wetlands Preserve is primarily a 27-acre trial to determine what can be expected when using wetlands for managing effluent. Records are being kept to determine how much water disposal can be expected from wetlands in the plant area.
Developing the wetlands as a park was done to maximize the benefits of the facility. By allowing the area to be used as a park, the City creates an eco-tourist attraction for Sedona.
The 2010 final report by the City Council-appointed Wastewater Effluent Disposal and Land Use Task Force (WEDLU) noted: “The 2007 Verde Valley Tourism Survey, conducted by the Arizona Office of Tourism, identified that wildlife watching ranked on a par with visiting art galleries and jeep tours among preferred activities for visitors to Sedona and the Verde Valley.”
The City is beginning development of the trial injection well. This is about one year behind the schedule contained in the WEDLU report. The information from this trial will allow the preparation of the model to determine the best combination of wetlands, injection, and spray irrigation to manage the effluent. The City is anticipating contracting for development of the model within the next year.
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we talking about sewers?
This is bad for local people to not be trusted with the truth don’t you think so?
I couldn’t stop laughing reading the line Moseley wrote that ranked wildlife viewing in Sedona on par with jeep tours and visiting art galleries. You Gotta Be Nuts! The guys and gals at a dinner at Elote said it couldn’t be true so this morning I sent this article to all six. Yessiree! Do you think we didn’t notice he quoted a 2007 survey result? Which means it was taken before the economy went to hell and has no value? 2007 was six years ago! Now other than javelina painted statues in town, WHAT WILDLIFE? Coyotes at night? Sure isn’t us old folks out on the 5 to 6 PM dinner hour. This is rarified drivel. Moseley stop being a patsy for the city.
Ed you made me go back and read the article better and I had missed that line//no way is that right. how the question was asked gave that outcome. and the survey said we needed the roadrunner to shuttle nonexistent crowds around. I laugh now when they talk about parking lots.
In addition to not knowing how much water the treatment plant can hold, the City doesn’t know if the injection well will work. How many tens of millions of scarce taxpayer dollars is the City Council planning to spend to conduct an experiment?
BTW, I am seeing a critical project (HA HA) on next Tuesday’s Council Agenda, i.e., Item 3m on the Consent Calendar. No doubt we can count on the City Council to approve $161,200.45 for the Recreation Component at the WWTP. The contract with McDonald Brothers includes construction of the parking lot, restrooms, picnic tables, shade structures, bike racks, trash receptacles, etc.
I wonder how many people will want to picnic at a waste water treatment plant? The thought of it grosses me out.
Perhaps the ponds in the Recreation Component will work for ducks? Probably not that many. Generally ducks don’t care for the desert except to overwinter and for a brief refueling stop during spring and fall migration. Unlike Cottonwood that has the Verde River, SEDONA IS NOT ON A FLYWAY.
Drivel is right. Seems city council didn’t read Tom ohallerans self aggrandizement article in local paper for his next run on the gop ticket but the verde is drying up.
An airplane ride over this area will show development like pee and poo water holes for picnics and parks are beyond the pale of lunacy. Dead Horse Ranch can’t get tourists and its better located and developed with water that’s not gray.
Somebody close that city council checkbook before they invest in paddle boats or bring back the old roadrunner and call it the PP Tourmobile.
McDonald’s is developing this idiotic stink hole plan? Ronald are you palming cash with the Hamburglars in city hall? Stupid is as stupid funds.
PARKING LOT????? what the hells wrong with you??????? a parking lot in the desert???? even a paved (deleted) road is insanity!!!! its flat hard packed desert here park your cars and trucks on it!!!!! we dont have paved parking lots in most places & dont need it for (deleted) you are (deleted) (deleted) cant wait to vote your (deleted) out !!!!!!!!!!!!! who in the (deleted) is going to DRIVE to walk around there when we dont drive to uptown or the canyon????? we dont even drive to slide rock or loop roads!!!!!!!
Finally, a breath of fresh air from people who are really tracking with the actual acts the City is taking!!! Keith, Libby’s World, Ed, Hal, Al = you all are so on target and thanks for your thoughts! Please keep on keeping on.
In reading Charles Mosley’s post, on behalf of the City, I have some reflections: Wastewater Treatment Plant was never a toy to be used as a “duck pond, feel good park”. It’s City Council JOB was to treat effluent up to 2 million gallons per day in order to allow our city to function effectively with its effluent and development. As I recall that was the agreement back in the 90’s when the State was ready to close Sedona because of a sewer spill of major proportions.
Some of you might be surprised to know that the City has allowed a ton of hook-ups to our Treatment Plant that were just “in theory developments” or better known as “let’s get a zone change and site plan approval where we lock up sewer hook-up”….and then the market fell into a deep hole and those hook-ups were frozen.
You can verify this info on the City site. City is remiss in filling it’s duties. So, bottom line is that this City needs to get back to the JOB of providing us all with a fully functioning treatment plant (as defined by the State) and Stop giving us bird parks ….by the by? Actually Sedona is on a “flyway” path for many birds ……………….it’s called Oak Creek!
Let’s get rid of the Council’s personal agendas and back to a proper treatment plant that will meet the original needs it was approved for.
Sharlett
Does Sharlott comment mean actual buildings & houses aren’t hooked up to the treatment plant in that number Charles Moseley used for the city? I’ll use the term phantom hookups to try and be clear. What is the actual vs phantom figure?
Why not cancel phantom hookups approvals older than two years? Seems simple to me. Most areas have limits on building permits, code and zoning changes. Lisa D. got her restaurant after it was denied by prior zoning/councils. The same that happened for her can happen for the rest; let them come back and reapply when the building or hookup will take place.
Send out a notice that effective end 2013, phantom wastewater hookup agreements are canceled and rewrite the regulations to include failure to build timelines. Seems to me that this approach fixes all problems as far as I can see. What did I miss?
Jeff missed city hall’s hand in our pockets. And a give back? Not happening with this batch of politicians.