Decision to relocate water intake puts new Grand Canyon pipeline one step closer to reality

This 2012 file photo shows water gushing out of a leak in the Transcanyon Waterline Pipelin, Grand Canyon, Arizona, June 2, 2012 | Photo courtesy of Grand Canyon National Park via Flickr, St. George News

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK — The National Park Service recently announced it has settled on a plan to replace a critical transcanyon pipeline at the Grand Canyon for the 20,000 people that rely on that water daily for drinking, cooking and firefighting.

According to a press release from park officials, at a cost between $80 million and $110 million, the project will replace 3 miles of a waterline between Phantom Ranch and Indian Garden that have broken several times in recent years and requires continuous maintenance.

Read more: Pipeline repairs leave portions of Grand Canyon without water or relying on stored water

“The pipeline plays a critical role in supporting park operations and supplies all potable water to the park’s South Rim and Cross Canyon Corridor,” Kristine Provenzano, National Park Service project manager, said in the press release.

As part of the plan, Grand Canyon National Park will build treatment facilities and tanks to support the pipeline and relocate the water intake, eliminating one of the sections where most of the breaks occur.

The environmental assessment  giving the project the go-ahead was signed by Kate Hammond, the National Park Service’s acting regional director.

The new pipeline project is intended to support the park for approximately 50 years.

For more information go to the National Park Service website.

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