Introduction by Superintendent Ed Keable

Introduction

by Ed Keable, Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent

Over the past two years, I’ve been engaging with park staff and all our friends about how amazing Grand Canyon National Park is and how lucky I am to be the Superintendent. At the heart of the canyon, often called the canyon’s lifeblood, is the Colorado River.

I’ve spent time over the past year on the rivers, both the Colorado and the Green River, understanding the dynamics of the ecosystem and big river systems. I’ve also learned a lot about our local hydrology, the park’s waters, seeps, and springs, and the uniqueness of the aquifer.

This issue of Canyon Views highlights the range of issues related to water, from Colorado River flows and diminishing water supplies in the Colorado River basin to effects of flows to both natural and cultural resources in the system. The significance of water is all around us and this issue brings light to the range of perspectives I consider as we work to preserve and protect the park’s resources. One thing I learned last summer from one of the academics on a Green River trip was that we are no longer in a long-term drought. Instead, it is a period of “aridity.” This is heating and hardening the soils in the basin, which then absorbs rainwater and snowmelt rather than allowing it to flow into the river system. This is creating devastating impacts on the habitats of threatened fish, including the humpback chub and the razorback sucker in the park.

The low water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead present many major management challenges. The Glen Canyon and Hoover dams generate hydroelectric power for significant parts of the southwest as well as providing water for municipal and industrial uses in this area. The lower the volume of stored water in these dams, the more these vital services are at risk. Low water levels are also threatening the water recreation capacity for those bodies of water, which is a multi-milliondollar industry in this area and an important part of the mission for these two National Park Service units.

Closer to home, we all rely on water; it is the lifeblood of Grand Canyon and all of us in the desert west. We are in the process of replacing aging Grand Canyon water lines and infrastructure. It will be a long and costly series of projects and I know you will be thankful when the construction is done, and water flows through the new trans-canyon waterline. I know I will be, as will our staff. In a few years, I won’t be telling you about the pipeline breaks; instead, I’ll be sharing with you the success of the projects as we bring the infrastructure of the park into the 21st century.

There are many complicating factors on managing water locally and within the Colorado River basin. I hope that you will learn a lot about the issues at hand through the pages of this issue of Canyon Views.