Arizona Groundwater
Groundwater pumping in rural Arizona is largely unregulated. We’re working to conserve groundwater in the Grand Canyon region and help communities manage their limited water supplies.
Northern Arizona groundwater is ancient
From the San Francisco peaks to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, groundwater ranges from 6 years old to nearly 20,000 years old in northern Arizona.
The subterranean plumbing system collects snowmelt and rain from across the region.
Why is groundwater important?
Groundwater is an invisible but incredibly important resource in the desert. It is stored deep underground and is the source of springs and wells that sustain wildlife and people.
Groundwater feeds seeps and springs in the Grand Canyon.
Groundwater keeps our rivers and streams flowing.
Groundwater provides drinking water for towns.
Groundwater flow in the Grand Canyon region
The exact movement of water below the rim of the Grand Canyon is unknown. Generally, rain and snowmelt seep through the canyon’s porous rock layers — think sandstones and limestones — until it hits less permeable layers — the shales.
These watertight layers form aquifers above them, providing cities, tribal communities, and wildlife with the groundwater reserves they need to thrive.
Springs as spigots
In the Grand Canyon region, there are two main aquifers: the Coconino Aquifer, which is a multi-layered network of big and small pockets of water found 1,000 feet below the surface, and the Redwall-Muav Aquifer, which is a larger storehouse of water about 3,000 feet underground.
Springs are the spigots to this underground plumbing system. Water emerges at springs after days, decades, centuries, or millennia of underground travel.
Many towns in northern Arizona rely solely on groundwater
A single spring near the bottom of the Grand Canyon supplies Grand Canyon National Park and its millions of annual visitors with water. Neighboring towns like Tusayan and Jacob Lake, Arizona, as well as the Havasupai Tribe, rely solely on groundwater to drink, bathe, grow food, and more.
Groundwater laws in Arizona
There are essentially no rules that govern groundwater use in most of rural Arizona, including the Grand Canyon region. Outside of populated areas like Phoenix and Tucson, landowners can drill new wells and pump groundwater without permits. This can lead to over overuse and over-pumping.
Threats to Grand Canyon groundwater
Arizona is one of the driest states in the country. It’s important that we take good care of our water sources and protect the quantity and quality of our water to ensure a livable future for generations to come.
Drought
The Grand Canyon is experiencing the driest conditions the region has seen in 1,200 years.
Mining
Past and present uranium mining risks contaminating the Grand Canyon’s groundwater.
Thirsty developments
Plans for mega-resorts near the Grand Canyon threaten to guzzle scarce groundwater.
Tusayan mega-resort threatens Grand Canyon waters
A real estate developer has been angling to build a massive development on the doorstep of Grand Canyon National Park since the 1990s. But where would the 1.8 million square feet of new commercial real estate get its water?
Find out how groundwater pumping could reduce flows to the park and neighboring tribal lands.
Tusayan-Stilo Development: The Sleeping Giant
Read about a proposed resort that threatens water sources and the Havasupai Tribe's way of life.
Hydrologic Cross Section of Tusayan
Learn about groundwater pumping and geology in the Grand Canyon region.
Proposed Tusayan Mega Resort Footprint
Zoom over the proposed Tusayan mega-resort with this interactive map.
Add your voice to protect the Grand Canyon’s precious groundwater
Ask the U.S. Forest Service to take a closer look at the proposed Tusayan development before paving the way for the project.
Grand Canyon springs, lifelines in the desert
More than 1,400 springs have been recorded in the Grand Canyon.
Springs make up less than 0.01% of the Grand Canyon, but they support more than 500 times the species compared to the surrounding arid lands. Where water gushes out of the ground, canyon tree frogs sing, monkey flowers cling to mossy walls, and life of all shapes and sizes abounds.
Thunder River
Thunder River is actually a spring that gushes out of the Redwall Limestone on the north side of the Grand Canyon.
Roaring Springs
Roaring Springs supplies Grand Canyon National Park with all its water, including drinking water.
Vasey’s Paradise
This spring in Marble Canyon is home to one of three populations of ambersnails in Arizona.
Lend a hand for healthy springs
Join us in the field to help assess the health of springs in northern Arizona and prioritize restoration sites.
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