Image: Water spraying from break in exposed section of Transcanyon Waterline after a flash flood event.
A crucial pipeline that supplies water to millions of visitors at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim has been plagued by constant leaks and breaks for decades, yet a permanent solution is only now on the horizon. Over Labor Day weekend, visitors were left without access to hotels and water, highlighting the urgency of the problem.
This isn’t the first time the aging pipeline has caused disruption. The 12.5-mile Transcanyon Waterline, built in the 1960s, has broken more than 85 times since 2010, with repairs often required due to rockfalls, freezes, and flash floods. The waterline, which snakes through the rugged inner canyon, provides potable water to the South Rim, inner canyon campgrounds, and Phantom Ranch.
The pipeline was originally built with a 30-year lifespan and has long since surpassed it. Despite its deteriorating state, a full replacement project is not expected to be completed until 2027. The delays, according to park officials, are the result of limited funding and a lengthy planning process. This situation mirrors a broader challenge within the National Park Service, which is grappling with a $23 billion maintenance backlog across its parks.
“It just takes awhile for something this big,” explained Robert Parrish, chief of planning, environment, and projects at Grand Canyon National Park. “It’s not just the park service—utilities like this can take 10 to 15 years to start building.”
Years of Band-Aid Solutions
The park service has spent years patching the pipeline rather than replacing it. Since the 1990s, engineers have considered full replacement, but the costs were too high. Greg MacGregor, a former project manager at the park, explained that the piecemeal approach made economic sense in the short term. Each repair, costing around $25,000, was much cheaper than the tens of millions required for a complete overhaul.
For years, workers were flown in by helicopter to perform repairs. They had to measure the damage, fabricate new pipe sections, and then return to the canyon floor to install them. This arduous process repeated itself as breaks continued to occur, with as many as 30 a year.
The thinking finally shifted towards a permanent solution in the 2010s. In 2018, the National Park Service launched a plan to replace 3 miles of the pipeline inside the canyon, along with upgrading electrical lines and building a new water intake. This comprehensive overhaul, with a $208 million price tag, will help ensure the park can meet its water needs for the next 50 years.
Funding and Planning Delays
The biggest obstacle to the project has been funding. While Congress eventually provided over $70 million for the waterline project, the bulk of the funding is coming from park fees. In 2018, entrance fees were raised to help finance the project, with the Grand Canyon keeping 80% of those fees.
Congress’s reluctance to allocate significant funds for infrastructure projects in the national parks has been a longstanding issue. The Grand Canyon itself has an $823 million maintenance backlog, much of which involves roadwork, trails, and building repairs.
A Broader National Issue
The Grand Canyon’s pipeline crisis highlights a nationwide issue. The National Park Service is responsible for aging infrastructure across its sites, much of it built over 70 years ago. The Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 provided some relief with billions in additional funding, but it will soon expire if not renewed by Congress.
As Ernie Atencio of the National Parks Conservation Association puts it, “When you have inadequate resources, it comes down to a triage approach. You do the best you can for as long as you can. And sometimes things will blow up on you.”
For now, visitors to the Grand Canyon can expect more disruptions until the long-overdue repairs are completed by 2027.