Grand Canyon’s only water pipeline fails, forcing visitors to stay in hotels outside the park

Ty O'Neil, Matt York and Rio Yamat, Associated Press

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Sharon Ellison and Fred Jernigan spent 4 days hiking and camping from 1 extremity of nan Grand Canyon to nan other, pinch plans to relax astatine a edifice wrong nan parkland connected Thursday. But erstwhile they reemerged from nan jagged canyon astatine nan South Rim, they soon learned they were without accommodations for nan night.

A bid of breaks successful nan Grand Canyon’s only h2o pipeline prompted parkland officials to return unprecedented action pinch what they telephone “Stage 4” h2o restrictions, forcing nan abrupt shutdown of overnight edifice stays during 1 of nan busiest times of nan year.

“It’s a precious resource, and we understand that,” Jernigan said Thursday morning. “It’s not really a daze to us.”

Since July 8, nan parkland has faced challenges pinch its h2o proviso and has been implementing various levels of h2o restrictions. Now, officials said, nary h2o is presently being pumped to nan canyon’s southbound aliases northbound rims.

The 12.5 mile-long (20 kilometer-long) Transcanyon Waterline, primitively built successful nan 1960s, supplies potable h2o for accommodation connected nan South Rim and soul canyon. Park officials opportunity it has exceeded its expected lifespan.

Under nan existent h2o restrictions, visitors won’t beryllium capable to enactment overnight starting Thursday, including astatine nan El Tovar Hotel, Bright Angel Lodge, Phantom Ranch and Maswik Lodge, wherever Jernigan and Ellison had booked a room for nan night.

The North Carolina residents haven’t showered since Sunday, and they will person to find a caller spot to slumber Thursday night. But “after coming up rim to rim, we tin rotation pinch nan punches,” Ellison said, laughing.

Hotels extracurricular nan parkland successful nan adjacent municipality of Tusayan, arsenic good arsenic nan North Rim’s Grand Canyon Lodge will stay open. The parkland will enactment unfastened during nan day, and visitors still person nan action to camp, arsenic did Barbara Badger, who was visiting for 2 nights from Fontana, California.

Badger said she decided a fewer weeks agone to walk nan first day of her husband’s decease astatine nan Grand Canyon, a spot they visited together.

“We loved it. He loved it truthful much,” Badger said, tearing arsenic she said of her precocious husband, Douglas.

Even though they didn’t hike aliases campy during their sojourn together, she said a sound successful her caput told her to get a sleeping container and different gear.

“So I did each of that and, erstwhile I sewage here, I was prepared to campy retired and pinch nary logic why,” she said. “Except that’s conscionable nan measurement it worked.”

Mark and Vicky Williams hold pinch their 15-month-old son, Will, wrong nan Bright Angel Lodge, arsenic visitors won’t beryllium capable to enactment overnight aft a bid of breaks successful nan only pipeline that serves nan celebrated tourer destination, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, successful Grand Canyon, Ariz. | Matt York, Associated Press

Carved by nan Colorado River and known for its immense godforsaken landscapes, nan Grand Canyon welcomed astir 523,000 visitors past August and much than 466,000 visitors past September.

At Yavapai Lodge, astir 970 reservations for nan play were canceled, according to spokesperson Glen White. Guests will beryllium refunded for each deposits and payments, he said.

A spokesperson for Xanterra Travel Collection, which operates different affected hotels and lodging wrong nan park, didn’t respond to a petition for comment.

Park officials dream to make repairs and invited backmost overnight guests connected nan South Rim arsenic quickly arsenic possible. But restoration efforts won’t beryllium easy for an aluminum tube that isn’t insulated and sits supra nan crushed adjacent hiking trails successful immoderate areas.

“Here, to beryllium exposed to nan elements, that brings successful a full caller level of complexity,” said Darren Olson, who chairs nan American Society of Civil Engineers’ Committee connected America’s Infrastructure. He pointed to imaginable stone slides and utmost heat.

Since 2010, much than 85 awesome breaks person disrupted h2o delivery, but nary person forced Stage 4 h2o restrictions. That is, until 4 caller important breaks.

Park officials opportunity nan harm occurred down successful nan depths of nan canyon successful a constrictive area known arsenic “the box” that is highly susceptible to stone autumn and vulnerable power this clip of nan year. A photograph of 1 of nan caller breaks released by officials shows nan tube spitting retired a chimney of h2o crossed nan slim canyon.

“You’re having to put successful a h2o main providing services that we each return for granted, but you’re providing it successful locations where, really, mother quality wasn’t meant to person caller h2o delivered there,” Olson said. “It makes for a challenge.”

The pipeline issues continued arsenic parkland officials connected Thursday announced what is believed to beryllium nan sixth fatality astatine nan canyon successful a period and nan 14th this year. They said a 60-year-old man from North Carolina who was backpacking unsocial was recovered dormant Wednesday greeting connected a distant trail.

Other fatalities included a 33-year-old female who was swept distant past week successful a flash flood while connected a hiking trip, and different North Carolina man who fell to his decease July 31 astatine nan South Rim.

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Yamat reported from Las Vegas.

A motion denoting parkland lodge closures hangs connected nan doorway arsenic a impermanent exits nan Bright Angel Lodge, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, successful Grand Canyon, Ariz. | Matt York, Associated Press