Following the failure of the well pump at Palatki Heritage Site, the Coconino National Forest announced on Thursday, Sept. 26, that the site will be closed until at least Thursday, Oct. 10, for repairs. 

“We don’t have a safe living condition for our on-site hosts that are there 24 hours a day,” Coconino National Forest Permit Administrator L.J. Varon-Burkhart said. “We’re hoping that it won’t be too long of a closure, but we just don’t want to invite [people] there until we have a safe living and working condition there again.”

The U.S. Forest Service is planning to bring in a temporary Water Buffalo storage system or fix the well pump. The repair process is currently out to bid with no estimated cost yet determined. 

“We would fill the Water Buffalo with water from our ranger station, and then we would haul it out there,” Heritage Site Manager Nicholas Massoni said. “So it’d be about 300 gallons, which would probably sustain four people for about a week, if they’re being conservative with their water use. And then we would just have to refill that every week for however long the issue continues.” 

Massoni said the Water Buffalo also takes time to set up because it requires several cleanings and a test routine before it would be usable. 

The closure has been announced on recreation.gov, on social media and on signs along the route to the Palatki site. The Honanki Heritage Site remains open 2.3 miles to the northwest. Officials are also recommending that visitors divert to the Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site, at 6750 Forest Service Road 618 in Rimrock, which will be extending its hours to 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

“We’re trying to schedule the contractors to come out and order the parts. It’s a pretty old system, it’s over 25 years old,” Varon-Burkhart said. “But we’re hopeful we can get it back up and running within the week. It’s a priority of our district ranger as well as the engineering staff to get that done so we can be open for the public.”