Water conservation measures are being implemented on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park/NPS

In what has become a frequent exercise, water conservation measures are being instituted at Grand Canyon National Park while maintenance crews work on the park's water system.

The measures take effect Monday for residents and visitors on the park's South Rim, and are expected to remain in effect through December 19 for scheduled maintenance at the Indian Garden North pump house. The work includes draining the sedimentation tank and cleaning it as part of the Indian Garden North pump house replacement project.

Water conservation measures in effect are:

• No car or bus washing
• No watering of lawns or plants
• Utilizing low water cleaning techniques
• Reducing shower times and turning water off while brushing teeth
• Drinking water at restaurants will be provided by request

Within the inner canyon, water services at Indian Garden will be unavailable. Water service stations also unavailable due to seasonal closures are: Cottonwood Campground, North Kaibab Trailhead, Plateau Point, Supai Tunnel, and the Mile-and-a-Half and Three-Mile Resthouses.

Hikers in the backcountry should plan to carry all their water and have methods to treat water. Visit https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/trail-closures.htm for critical backcountry updates.

The Indian Garden North pump house replacement project began September 23, and will continue into May 2020. The project is replacing 1960s' era pumps that provide water to the park’s South Rim to increase water supply reliability and pumping efficiency as park visitation grows and water demand increases. Outages from the pumps have contributed to multiple park-wide conservation restrictions over the past five years.

Grand Canyon National Park has a large and complex water utility system that provides water to more than 6 million visitors in addition to the 2,500 residents that live in the park.