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Park personnel assessing damage from a split in a section of the Transcanyon Water Pipeline. NPS Photo.
Designing a Water System for the Future B y L illian E. Daniels , C ommunic at ions Specialist , Planning , Env ironment , and Project s Grand Canyon N at ional Park
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n a mid-afternoon Thursday in January, the sun’s warm rays beckon hikers trekking along the inner canyon trails at Grand Canyon National Park. Amongst some visitors seeking a break from the Bright Angel Trail at Indian Garden is a group of uniformed park rangers, National Park Service (NPS) staff and civilian engineers passing around blueprints and taking notes, a scene that encourages a pair of hikers to stop and inquire about a necessity they all require—water. The curious hikers have inquired about a break in the park’s waterline and are seeking information about the progress of the repair and available water sources. Coincidentally, they have encountered a group conducting
a final site visit to wrap up design plans for the Transcanyon Water Distribution Pipeline, commonly known as the Transcanyon Waterline (TCWL) program. Park rangers from the group stop to answer questions and assure the hikers a repair crew from the park’s facilities and maintenance division is nearly done repairing the leak that occurred further down the waterline. Many Grand Canyon Conservancy members and residents are familiar with the aged waterline’s multiple annual breaks which interrupts the flow of water, on average for three to five days, through the inner canyon to the South Rim. The breaks require visitors, residents, and commercial operators to implement increasing levels of water conservation
measures, but there’s good news. The TCWL is coming. Don’t let the title of the TCWL program mislead you into thinking it’s only swapping out some sections of pipe at Grand Canyon National Park. It isn’t. The program is the overall modernization of the water delivery system and associated infrastructure. “For years, the park has needed a more secure water system and this project will allow us certainty and resiliency in our water delivery and distribution systems,” said Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Ed Keable. The site visit, conducted by staff members of NPS and an architectural and engineering firm,
