Hotel stays at Grand Canyon National Park are now restricted ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend after the only pipeline supplying water to the park suffered “four significant ruptures,” prompting a total shutdown, officials said.
The National Park Service said that “there is currently no water being pumped to the South or North Rim” following incidents involving the “12½-mile Transcanyon Water Pipeline that supplies water to the park from the canyon.”
Starting Thursday, the NPS said, “all park concessions will cease overnight lodging,” including “Xanterra-operated hotel facilities such as El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge and Phantom Ranch, as well as Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village at Delaware North.” Only dry camping will be allowed and fire restrictions will be in place, but the park will remain open for day use.
“These actions are critical to ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources,” the NPS said in a statement. “The goal is to restore full operation of facilities for overnight passengers on the South Shore as quickly as possible.”
BODY OF MISSING ARIZONA HIKER FOUND DAYS AFTER SUPER-POWERFUL FLOOD IN GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
Water gushes from a portion of the Transcanyon water main that ruptured along the North Kaibab Trail on Aug. 20 at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. (National Park Service/PA)
Park officials say the Transcanyon pipeline, built in the 1960s, is “beyond its designed life and experiences frequent breakdowns, requiring costly and ongoing maintenance to repair leaks.”
“Since 2010, there have been more than 85 major breaks that have each disrupted water supplies. The National Park Service recently began work on the $208 million Transcanyon Waterway rehabilitation and upgrades to the associated water supply system,” according to the NPS.
“This crucial infrastructure investment,” which is expected to be completed by 2027, “will enable the park to meet the water supply needs of six million annual visitors and approximately 2,500 permanent residents,” he added.
BASE JUMPER DIES AFTER 150-METER FALL AT GRAND CANYON
Visitors will be leaving the Bright Angel Lodge on Wednesday, August 28, in Grand Canyon, Arizona. Visitors will no longer be able to stay overnight at hotels in Grand Canyon National Park starting Thursday, following a series of outages in the only pipeline that serves the popular tourist destination. (AP/Matt York)
The ongoing water restrictions will be in effect through Labor Day weekend, when hotels will be near or at capacity, the Associated Press reports.
Restoration efforts are complicated by the fact that the failures occurred in a narrow part of the canyon called “the box,” an area prone to rockfall and high temperatures at this time of year. A photo of one of the recent failures released by park officials shows a funnel of water gushing from the pipe and flowing through the narrow canyon.
Water access has been cut off on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, as pictured here. (AP/Alex Brandon)
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“It’s a really tough place to be and have a pipeline that breaks,” said Joelle Baird, a Grand Canyon spokeswoman, noting safety concerns for crews repairing the damage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
