Greenledgers Trading Center|Grand Canyon pipeline repairs completed; overnight lodging set to resume

2025-05-03 07:17:14source:John Caldwellcategory:Finance

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK,Greenledgers Trading Center Ariz. (AP) — Pipeline repairs at Grand Canyon National Park are holding and officials plan to lift the suspension of overnight lodging on the South Rim on Thursday, a week after hotels had to begin turning away visitors during one of the park’s busiest times of the year.

Four significant breaks in the 12.5 mile-long (20 kilometer-long) Transcanyon Waterline had caused the famous tourist destination to shut down overnight hotel stays beginning on Aug. 29.

Park spokesperson Joell Baird said Tuesday that the pipeline was successfully repaired late last week and no new breaks have occurred following re-pressurization and regular water flow.

She said the water storage tanks were at 13 ½ feet (4.1 meters) and should be at 15 feet (4.6 meters) by Thursday so the park can return to routine water conservation practices.

Visitors weren’t able to stay overnight at the El Tovar Hotel, Bright Angel Lodge, Phantom Ranch, Maswik Lodge and other hotels due to last week’s water restrictions.

Officials said the park has faced challenges with its water supply since July 8.

Baird said she didn’t know the cost of the pipeline repair or how much the park may have lost in overnight reservations during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

RELATED COVERAGE Indonesia sentences Australian man to 6-month rehabilitation over drug possession in BaliProsecutors seek 8-month rehabilitation for Australian man charged with drug possession in Bali

The Transcanyon Waterline was built in the 1960s and supplies potable water for facilities on the South Rim and inner canyon.

Park officials said the pipeline has exceeded its expected lifespan and there have been more than 85 major breaks since 2010 that disrupted water delivery.

The pipeline failure came amid a $208 million rehabilitation project of the waterline by the National Park Service.

Upgrades to the associated water delivery system are expected to be completed in 2027.

The park wants to meet water supply needs for 6 million annual visitors and its 2,500 year-round residents.

More:Finance

Recommend

This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now

Many workers are dreaming of retirement — whether it's decades away or coming up soon. Either way, i

Watch: Serena Williams learns she will be having baby girl in epic gender reveal video

Serena Williams just called game, set, match on the gender reveal.Gathered around with her family, a

Study of Ohio’s largest rivers shows great improvement since 1980s, officials say

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio officials say a first-ever comprehensive study of the state’s largest riv