Water is scarce in the desert. So for every proposed development near the Grand Canyon, we ask: where will the water come from?
This question has sparked a debate in the town of Tusayan, Arizona, where a developer wants to build a mega-resort — 2,500 hotel rooms, a convention center, possible dude ranch, and private residences — on the doorstep of the most popular entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. The addition of thousands of faucets, tubs, and toilets would guzzle already scarce groundwater that feeds the Grand Canyon's seeps and springs, as well as strain existing infrastructure and negatively impact the surrounding national forest and park lands. We're working to ensure that doesn't happen.
Before developers can break ground, they need permission to pave way for their resort. The land that Stilo Development Group plans to develop is surrounded by national forest lands. Stilo and the town of Tusayan have requested permission from the U.S. Forest Service to build about 5.5 miles of road and utilities across public lands to access the private inholdings. The Forest Service accepted the proposal in September 2020.
The forest supervisor already rejected Stilo's proposal once, in 2016, citing its controversial nature, opposition by local and national communities, and impacts to tribal and national park lands. Once again, the Forest Service needs to put the public interest ahead of private gain.
Plants, animals, and people of the Grand Canyon region. New developments like the one Stilo is proposing threaten to pump more water from an already shrinking supply of groundwater.
Wells in Tusayan tap into the Redwall-Muav aquifer, which sits more than 3,000 feet beneath the surface. This aquifer is the primary source for the Grand Canyon's seeps, springs, and streams. Increased pumping would further deplete the already stressed aquifer. The National Park Service has documented long-term declines in flows of springs beneath the canyon's south rim.
It's not just willows, ferns, birds, and bighorn sheep that rely on Grand Canyon waters. The lifeway of the Havasupai people, whose sole source of drinking water comes from the Redwall-Muav aquifer, is also at risk. Current and future pumping of groundwater from the aquifer will cause irreparable harm to the tribe.
Stilo's latest proposal aims to supply new residential development with water from existing wells that currently support the entire town of Tusayan (population 583). In 2014, Tusayan was pumping 57 million gallons of water per year. The National Park Service estimated that Tusayan's water use could exceed 220 million gallons per year by 2024 if plans for the Stilo development move ahead.
The Forest Service needs to hear from you. Tell them why you care about the Grand Canyon, and ask them to:
Need more background first? Get the facts ›
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