THERE is
nothing else on Earth quite like the magnificent Grand Canyon. And, although
the Colorado River may have carved the Grand Canyon, water in this region of
Northern Arizona is otherwise in very short supply – and extra difficult to
access.
For example,
The National Park Service announced plans (in May of 2019) to replace the
aging waterline that serves 20,000 people a day; or a year-round population of
2,500 residents, plus 6 million annual visitors on the South Rim of the Grand
Canyon.
Wells have
to be extremely deep, or some 5,000-feet down on the South Rim to access water
-- that depth has to be near the elevation of the Colorado River.
A portion of the Grand Canyon waterline, near Indian Garden.
So, for more
than 60 years the Parks Service has relied on pumping water from the North
Rim’s Roaring Springs, to the South Rim, with its Transcanyon water system.
The problem
is water breaks in the 54-year-old pipeline system – AND some 80 waterline
breaks have been repaired just since 2010.
The NPS will
spend up to $110 million to replace three miles of waterline between Phantom
Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and Indian Garden, part-way up the
South Rim.
A sign at the Grand Canyon on its water system.
Since most
of the waterline breaks have occurred on the North Rim side, that section of
pipeline will be eliminated. Instead of having a major waterline intake at
Roaring Springs, the intake will be moved to near Phantom Ranch and just above
where Bright Angel Creek (primarily fed from Roaring Springs) empties into the
Colorado. This water intake will also be supplemented with water treatment
facilities there and storage tanks.
From there,
the waterline will cross the Silver foot bridge over the Colorado and continue
as now up to the South Rim near the path of the Bright Angel Trail.
The 1965
pipeline was originally designed to last just 40 years and is now 14 years
beyond that.
Water that
falls on the North Rim tends to go south and ends up inside the Grand Canyon.
However, water that falls on the South Rim also tends to go southward and ends
up thousands of feet deep in the ground.
The San Francisco Mountains as seen from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The South
Rim of the Grand Canyon is a desert region. Even the San Francisco Mountains,
that rise to an elevation of 12,663 feet above sea level, are “dry,” because
they do not produce any streams or runoff.
Essentially
the SF Mountains are more ancient volcanoes and moisture percolates downward.
Flagstaff
obtains all of its water from wells.
The summit of Mount Humphrey, 12,663 feet above sea level, more volcanic than a regular mountain.
