Grand Canyon overnight hotel stays shut down after only water pipeline fails

Overnight hotel stays in Grand Canyon National Park have now been restricted ahead of the busy Labor Day travel weekend after the only pipeline supplying water into the park suffered "four significant breaks," prompting a total shutdown, officials say. 

The National Park Service says "currently no water is being pumped to either the South or North Rim" following the mishaps involving the "12½ mile-long Transcanyon Waterline that supplies water from the canyon for use in the park." 

Starting Thursday, the NPS says "all park concessions will halt overnight accommodations" including "hotel facilities operated by Xanterra, such as El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, and Phantom Ranch, as well as Delaware North’s Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village." Only dry camping will be allowed and fire restrictions are in place, but the park will remain open for day use. 

"These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources," the NPS said in a statement. "The goal is to restore full operational status for overnight guests on the South Rim as quickly as possible." 

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Park officials say the Transcanyon Pipeline – which was built in the 1960s – has "exceeded its expected lifespan and experiences frequent failures, which require expensive and continuous maintenance work to repair leaks. 

"Since 2010, there have been over 85 major breaks that have each disrupted water delivery. The National Park Service recently started construction on a multi-year, $208 million rehabilitation of the Transcanyon Waterline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system," according to the NPS.  

"This crucial investment in infrastructure," which is expected to be completed by 2027, "will ensure the park is able to meet water supply needs for six million annual visitors and approximately 2,500 year-round residents," it added. 

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The ongoing water restrictions will run throughout the Labor Day holiday when hotels are near or at capacity, The Associated Press reports. 

Complicating restoration efforts is that the breaks occurred in a narrow part of the canyon known as "the box," an area susceptible to rock fall and with high temperatures at this time of the year. A photo of one of the recent breaks released by park officials shows a funnel of water spewing from the pipe and across the slim canyon. 

"It's definitely a challenging place to be and have a pipeline break on you," Grand Canyon spokesperson Joelle Baird said, noting safety concerns for the crews tasked with repairing the damage. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.