The Grand Canyon has been ranked the deadliest national park. It has the most missing person reports, deaths and even suicides from 2018 through the first two months of this year. FOX Weather’s Max Gorden reports.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. – Hotels inside Grand Canyon National Park will be shut down just as the Labor Day holiday weekend gets underway after a series of water main breaks forced operators to shut down the main waterline.
National Park staff say there have been four breaks in the 12.5-mile-long Transcanyon Waterline that have been affecting the park since July 8.
As a result of the ongoing water restrictions, some operations are being impacted, including overnight lodging, which comes at what is usually a busy time for the park.
The over 1.2-million-acre park welcomes more than 4 million visitors annually, with July typically being the most popular month to visit, despite the extreme heat.
“Existing conservation measures remain in place for both the North and South Rims,” NPS staff stated. “We are asking residents and visitors to help conserve water by limiting showers to five minutes or less, turning off faucets while shaving or brushing teeth, flushing toilets selectively, washing laundry with full loads, and reporting leaks to the appropriate offices.”
The NPS said they are working to restore services as quickly as possible, and the park does remain open for day use.
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Grand Canyon National Park
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The original waterline was constructed in the 1960s and, according to the NPS, has long surpassed its expected lifespan.
Since 2010, there have been at least 85 major reported breaks that have disrupted water delivery to the National Park.
A multi-year, $200 million rehabilitation project is underway to overhaul the water system, with completion expected by 2027 at the earliest.
Hotels and other accommodations in the nearby town of Tusayan are not impacted by the water restrictions but maybe busier than normal due to the additional influx of visitors.
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Many visitors travel to the Southwest U.S. to see the Grand Canyon’s formation, which is thought to be billions of years old.
The park is considered dangerous due to its rugged terrain and extreme weather conditions, including oppressive heat and sudden monsoon flooding.
The extreme weather conditions and terrain are likely playing a role in the repair efforts at the more-than-century-old park.
The NPS did not state when operations are expected to return to normal, but planning for temporary repairs is already underway.