Grand Canyon Issues
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An acre-foot — the volume of water that will cover 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot — equals 43,560 cubic feet or 325,851 gallons.
Flagstaff’s per-capita use is 130 gallons per day.
A growing population meets up with water scarcity
Growth in the Grand Canyon region has stressed water supplies to their limits. Coupled with drought conditions, it has brought unprecedented demands for groundwater, impacting not only the region’s water resources but also the plants and animals that depend on them. This situation raises serious questions about the sustainability of human activity in this arid region.
Impacts to the fragile ecological systems of seeps and springs
Grand Canyon’s fragile seeps and springs are indicators of the impacts associated with groundwater pumping. They feed riparian zones that are crucial to the survival of diverse plant and animal life. Although they cover only 0.1 percent of the canyon’s land area, these habitats hold the highest density of biological diversity anywhere in the canyon. Unfortunately, these seeps and springs are fed by the same aquifer — 2,000-foot-deep Redwall-Muav aquifer — that supplies water to not only the park’s gateway but also to the region south of Grand Canyon. Small springs, especially, are extremely sensitive to aquifer changes.
Water levels are projected to decline in response to this pumping. Presently, seven wells south of Grand Canyon withdraw water at a combined rate of about 800 acre-feet per year (AF/yr), or about 261 million gallons per year. Hydrologists Errol L. Montgomery & Associates, Inc., concluded that “groundwater pumping from the R-aquifer [the Redwall-Muav] . . . will eventually result in less discharge at the principal springs...along the South Rim of Grand Canyon.”
Impacts to Native communities
Pumping also impacts Native American communities. For centuries, they have cherished water as the sacred lifeblood of Mother Earth. Today, explosive growth is threatening their water systems. Navajo and Hopi tribes have serious water-delivery problems, even with their low per-capita use — only 40 gallons per day. Addressing Native American water requirements will be an important part of any equitable water solution.
Population and water demand projections The Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Council has overseen studies on projected population growth and water demands in the region. By 2050, Flagstaff is expected to grow from 63,000 to between 114,000 and 125,000 people; Coconino County’s population is expected to nearly double to 236,000. As a result, water demand is expected to roughly double by 2050 to 40,000 AF/yr according to Bureau of Reclamation estimates.
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