Water in storage at canyon’s South Rim at sustainable levels

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. – Officials at Grand Canyon National Park say that after several weeks of pipeline breaks and water restrictions, water in storage on the South Rim has reached sustainable levels.

That means park operations will return to Level 1 water conservation measures.

In Level 1 water conservation, visitors, residents and businesses will continue to use basic water conservation practices.

Grand Canyon National Park phased to Level 3 water restrictions and conservation measures last month due to a series of breaks in the Transcanyon Waterline.

The park’s water supply comes from a natural spring that flows through 12.5 miles (20 kilometres) of pipeline.

But the 1960s aluminum pipeline to the South Rim twists and turns around trails and through rocky terrain, frequently breaking and leaking.

Each repair reportedly costs an average of $25,000.