Late last week, a Federal judge ruled that the US Forest Service failed to comply with the Environmental Protection Act by not gauging the impact that Canyon Forest Village would have on water usage. The Forest Service should have examined the effect of water usage by the 272-acre development, both in groundwater pumping and in hauling water to the site. The judge ordered that Canyon Forest Village be sent back to the Forest Service for further discussion.

Critics of the project, mostly nearby cities that have a monopoly on hotels and restaurants in the area, claimed that the ruling meant the a new environmental impact study would have to be conducted. It took the developers of Canyon Forest Village and the Kaibab Forest more than five years to conduct the initial study. Opponents believe that the ruling is the death knell for the project, especially since last November voters in Coconino County overwhelmingly rejected a rezoning of the property.

But Kaibab Forest officials say that they expect the water issues to be quickly resolved.

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