Squaw Valley’s upper mountain was closed for two days due to a sewage leak, which was caused by a high pressure air line break. While the problem was located quickly and the sewer system was shut down, the resort had to evacuate High Camp and downloaded guests and employees on the Funitel. Upper mountain re-opened on Dec. 28.
“On Dec. 26, Squaw Valley became aware of anomalies in the resort’s sewer flows through monitoring systems,” the ski resort wrote in a statement. The resort located a leak that afternoon, closed upper mountain, and shut off the sewer system.
A high pressure air line that supports snowmaking equipment bore a hole through the sewer line, according to Mike Geary, general manager of the Squaw Valley Public Service District, which was on site during the clean out process. Air then blew sand into the line, creating a blockage.
Amelia Richmond, Squaw Valley spokesperson, said the pressurized air and sewer lines run parallel to one another on the mountain, and noted that the leak was caused by a maintenance issue. Richmond said the resort has had to make more snow this season due to dry conditions, but said that was not the reason for the break.
Squaw Valley cleared the blockage on Dec. 27, and had the system repaired and service restored by that afternoon. “Placer County Environmental Health staff visited the site and observed that Squaw Valley had taken remedial measures, noting that the leak did not appear to have reached any water courses and that no sewage odor was present,” according to Squaw’s statement. The tram re-opened on the evening of Dec. 27, and re-opened Mountain Run and the upper mountain for skiing and riding the following day.
“It was not a large leak,” said Wesley Nicks, director of Environmental Health for Placer County. “There was no public health threat.”
Nicks said the public was not exposed to the leak, and that the leak was isolated to the soil and rocks. He said Squaw Valley worked quickly to stop fix the leak. Geary said the SVPSD sent their inspector to make sure the fix met the district’s standards, which it did.
“Their operations crew have impressed us over and over again,” Geary said. “They fixed it the way we would have. Those guys know what they are doing. I’m impressed with how they can repair that line in the middle of the mountain.”
