FLAGSTAFF/WILLIAMS – Clouds hugged San Francisco Peaks and snowflakes began to fall in Flagstaff about 2:44 p.m. today with more along I-40. The weather turned out colder than predicted throughout the day. There was apparently an accident on I-40 in Williams, but we have no details.
Category Archives: Flagstaff
Rain and snow through next Wednesday
FLAGSTAFF/WILLIAMS – Flagstaff and Williams, again, are expected to experience similar weather according to the long-range forecast. Chance of rain and snow Friday night through next Wednesday. Williams has a 10% chance of rain and snow starting tomorrow after 11 a.m. Both cities will then experience similar weather patterns.
Friday night there will be a 70% chance of rain and snow raising to 80% Saturday. Saturday night and Sunday the chance drops back to 70%. Snow is likely through next Wednesday.
Little or no snow accumulation is expected until Saturday night when Williams may receive 3 to 5-inches with another 1 to 2-inches possible Sunday.
Wind gusts of 21-mph are expected today and up to 23-mph tonight. Winds will rise to 13 to 18-mph tomorrow rising to up to 21-mph Friday night. Saturday the highest winds are expected to be up to 28-mph with gusts up to 39-mph.
All NAU Students and Faculty Airlifted to Safety
FLAGSTAFF – All of the NAU students and Faculty have been rescued from the area of Sowats Point near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where they have been stranded since yesterday afternoon.
As of 4:00 pm today all of the individuals were flown to the parking lot of Jacobs Lake where they will be driven back to NAU Campus. Today’s eleven hour rescue effort began this morning at 5:00 am and ended at 4:00 pm this afternoon.
All twenty of the individuals are reported to be in good health and none of them required medical attention. Due to the vast distances involved the DPS Air Rescue Helicopter had to fly into Utah twice for the purpose of refueling. Students and faculty will be transported from Jacobs Lake to NAU campus via NAU vehicles.
Proposed Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (Azpdes) Renewal Permit
Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:
Public Notice No. 15-43 Published on Tuesday, February 24, 2015
AZPDES Permit No. AZ0020427
City of Flagstaff
Wildcat Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)
211 W. Aspen Avenue
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004
The City of Flagstaff applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the proposed discharge of up to 6 million gallons per day (mgd) of treated domestic wastewater from the Wildcat Hill WWTP to the Rio de Flag River in the Little Colorado River Basin in Township 21 S, Range 8 E, Section 4, in Coconino County, Arizona. The Wildcat Hill WWTP is a publicly owned treatment works that receives domestic wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sources in the City of Flagstaff. Sludge is pumped through two anaerobic digesters, further stabilized in storage basins, and injected into the soil of a dedicated land disposal site.
The permit and fact sheet may be viewed online at http://www.azdeq.gov/cgi-bin/vertical.pl by typing the permit number in the box left of “Search Event”. The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.
Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Jacqueline Maye, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-A908(B).
Proposed Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (Azpdes) Renewal Permit
Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:
Public Notice No. 15-42 Published on Tuesday, February 24, 2015
AZPDES Permit No. AZ0025895
Continental Country Club, Inc.
2380 N. Oakmont Drive
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Continental Country Club, Inc. applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the proposed discharge of up to 3 million gallons per day (mgd) of effluent from the City of Flagstaff Wildcat Hill wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to three effluent storage lakes located on the golf course in Flagstaff, Arizona. The lakes are located in three drainages on the property which are tributaries to the Rio de Flag River in the Little Colorado River Basin in Township 21 N, Range 8 E, Section 18, in Coconino County, Arizona. The Wildcat Hill WWTP is a publicly owned treatment works that receives domestic wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sources in Flagstaff. Sludge is pumped through two anaerobic digesters, further stabilized in storage basins, and injected into the soil of a dedicated land disposal site.
The permit and fact sheet may be viewed online at http://www.azdeq.gov/cgi-bin/vertical.pl by typing the permit number in the box left of “Search Event”. The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.
Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Jacqueline Maye, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-A908(B).
President’s Day Weekend Busy for Search and Rescue
American Legion Cordova Post #13 posts the colors in Williams on President’s Day.
FLAGSTAFF — While many were off for this weekend in honor of President’s day—perhaps taking selfies at the Grand Canyon—Search and Rescue (SAR) crews had a busy weekend responding to three missions. Rescue assistance from Coconino County Search and Rescue was required in Williams, Ash Fork and Flagstaff.
The first occurred on Saturday at approximately 3:15 pm when the Williams Fire Department requested assistance responding to an injured adult male hiker in the Bennett Spring area. The hiker had sustained a fall and was complaining of back pain. Search and Rescue personnel responded and assisted with interpreting some GPS location information and rescuing the hiker from the location where he was injured.
Williams Fire personnel hiked in and made initial patient contact and SAR personnel hiked in with additional equipment. It was determined that a helicopter short haul rescue was the most appropriate technique due to the patient’s condition. An Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman responded to the scene and picked up a Heli-Rescue Technician from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. The Heli-Rescue Technician was inserted a short distance away from the patient and then hiked to the scene and placed the patient, who was on a backboard, into the Bauman Bag which is the device used during short haul rescue. The helicopter then conducted a short haul during which the rescuer and the patient were suspended 150 feet below the helicopter on a rope. The patient and rescuer were flown from the accident scene to Camp Clover landing zone where the patient was transferred to LifeLine Ambulance for transport to Flagstaff Medical Center. The rescue was complete by 6:30 pm.
While the rescue in Williams was occurring the Sheriff’s Office was responding to a report of a missing 9 year old male in the Westwood Ranch area north of Ashfork. The child had been last seen at 1:00 pm at a residence near Stone Lake and had run into the woods following an argument. When the child did not return in a short period of time the family contacted the Sheriff’s Office for assistance.
Helicopter rescue at Mt. Elden. Coconino County Sheriff photo.
Deputies and Search and Rescue responded to the scene. Both a tracking and trailing search dog and an area search dog were used during the initial response. Additional ground search and rescue and the DPS Air Rescue helicopter joined the search using night vision in forward looking infrared units to search for the child. Due to the large search area additional search and rescue resources were requested from Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office to respond in the morning. At approximately 7:24 AM on Sunday as the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office team were driving to the incident command post location they located the child walking down a road. The child identified himself and asked for help. The child was cold and tired but in otherwise good condition. He was transported to the incident command post and reunited with his family.
On Sunday night at approximately 9:30 PM the Sheriff’s Office and SAR personnel responded to a report of four lost hikers; three males and one female, on Mt. Elden in need of assistance. The hikers had become stranded due to darkness near the waterfall area on Mt. Elden. Rescuers made voice contact with them in that area and then DPS Air Rescue was able to locate them and guide them down the slope which they illuminated with the spotlight. Rescuers met them on their descent and then guided them to the trail head. The hikers were lightly dressed and not prepared for cold overnight temperatures. This was the second rescue in the waterfall area of Mt. Elden in a week.
Search and Rescue would like to remind outdoor recreationists to follow some simple advice to keep them safe and aid in a search and rescue effort if it is needed. Outdoor recreationists should always tell someone where they are going and when they will be back so that if a person does not arrive as expected Search and Rescue will have a place to start the search effort. Recreationists should also carry the 10 essentials on every hike since no one ever intends to get lost or hurt on their outing but it can happen. Those essentials include:
1. Water
2. Food
3. Extra warm clothing
4. Navigation equipment (map, compass, GPS)
5. Headlamp/Flashlight and extra batteries
6. First Aid Kit
7. Shelter Material such as a space blanket or large leaf bag
8. Fire starting kit or backpacking stove
9. Pocket knife or multi-tool
10. Whistle/Signal mirror
An eleventh essential is a cell phone. While a cell phone doesn’t always work in backcountry locations, sending and receiving texts sometimes works when calls don’t. Also, your cell phone can help provide rescuers with important information about the situation and the location.
Snow expected through next week
FLAGSTAFF/WILLIAMS – The recent spring-like weather has slowly been ebbing since President’s Day with cooler days and freezing nights. Currently Williams is experiencing overcast conditions and a cold breeze.
According to the long-range forecast, Williams and Flagstaff have a chance of rain tomorrow night, but it is expected to be mostly sunny during the day.
20% chance of rain is forecast for Sunday and Sunday night leading to a 30% chance of snow showers Monday. Little or no snow accumulation is expected.
The chance of rain and snow showers run through Thursday of next week.
USFS Law Enforcement Officer Acting within his Lawful Duty in Shooting Death of a suspect
FLAGSTAFF – The criminal investigation of USFS Law Enforcement Officer who fatally shot a suspect who attacked him in the Blue Ridge area on September 19, 2014 has been completed and the officer will not face charges.
Evidence collected during the investigation showed that USFS Officer Andrew Pederson was acting within his lawful duty when he came in contact with sixty-six year old Courtney James Van Riper. Investigation of the events that led to the shooting death of Van Riper indicated that the officer was defending himself during the shooting incident.
Following the shooting death of Van Riper, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office conducted the criminal investigation into the officer involved shooting death of Courtney Van Riper.
The investigation was forwarded to the Coconino County Attorney’s Office who reviewed the case. After reviewing the evidence, the Coconino County Attorney’s Office completed its report that no charges would be filed against Pederson. In their report, the County Attorney’s Office found that the evidence shows that Pederson was discharging a lawful duty when he encountered sixty-six year old Courtney James Van Riper.
The evidence shows that during the encounter, Van Riper produced a large can of pepper spray which he pointed and sprayed at the face of the officer. The evidence also indicates that Pederson’s actions of firing multiple rounds at the suspect were based on the reasonable belief that Van Riper might take control of his service weapon once he was incapacitated by the spray.
The County Attorney’s report cited Arizona Revised Statutes 13-410(C)(1) which permits law enforcement to use deadly physical force in self-defense.
State Route 89A reopened in Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks
PHOENIX — State Route 89A in the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks (mileposts 387-390) was fully reopened yesterday after crews repaired a sinkhole that had been discovered in the northbound lane on Saturday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The southbound lane was reopened at 10:30 a.m. today. There are no restrictions to either south- or northbound travel through the SR 89A switchbacks from Sedona to Flagstaff now that the repairs have been completed.
ADOT started the repairs after geotechnical engineers completed an inspection Monday that determined the repairs could start immediately. Crews used heavy equipment to excavate a six-foot deep, eight-foot-wide section of the roadway to remove loose material underneath the pavement near milepost 388.
Today, ADOT repaved the northbound lane after filling the void with a liquid concrete-cement mix that needed to harden overnight before work could begin.
“ADOT staff responded quickly to this unplanned closure by removing the loose material that was causing the pavement to settle, filling the hole, and repaving this section of damaged highway after a field inspection Monday morning determined we could start the sinkhole repairs immediately on State Route 89A,” said ADOT Flagstaff District Engineer Audra Merrick. “While this was certainly unexpected, I’m glad we were able to limit the traffic impact as much as possible to motorists who rely on this critical roadway to travel between Sedona and Flagstaff.”
State Route 89A switchbacks remains closed, sinkhole repairs started today
PHOENIX — Repairs of the roadway damage caused from a sinkhole started today along State Route 89A in the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks, but the roadway remains closed (mileposts 387-390) and is expected to remain closed until later this week, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Crews used heavy equipment to excavate a six-foot deep, eight-foot wide section of the roadway today to remove loose material underneath the pavement near milepost 388, where the sinkhole was originally spotted on Saturday afternoon on the northbound lane.
After the earthwork was completed, crews filled the void with a liquid concrete-cement mix that needs to harden for at least 24 hours before the roadway can be repaved. In an effort to expedite the repairs as soon as possible, ADOT is currently contacting potential contractors to get the asphalt that will be needed to complete the paving.
Prior to construction, a team of geotechnical engineers conducted a field inspection of the sinkhole this morning and determined that it could be repaired immediately.
With SR 89A closed from the Pine Flats Campground to the Vista Point scenic overlook, the recommended detour from Sedona to Flagstaff is to take State Route 179 to Interstate 17. The detour could add up to an extra half hour of travel time for motorists commuting between Sedona and Flagstaff.