Bad news: Visitors to the dry and hot Grand Canyon National Park will no longer be able to buy water in disposable containers within the park boundaries. Good news: Free water stations are now available throughout the park to allow visitors to fill reusable water bottles.
The Grand Canyon National Park will eliminate the in-park sale of water packaged in individual disposable containers within 30 days under a plan approved this week by National Park Service (NPS) Intermountain Regional Director John Wessels.
The waste associated with disposable bottles comprises an estimated 20 percent of the park's overall waste stream and 30 percent of the park's recyclables according to park officials.
In December, national parks were directed to implement a disposable plastic water bottle recycling and reduction policy. Grand Canyon National Park officials had an option to eliminate in-park sales - with the approval of the park's regional director. The decision came following an analysis of a variety of factors ranging from the cost to install water filling stations, to the cost and availability of BPA-free reusable containers, to potential effects on public safety.
"Our parks should set the standard for resource protection and sustainability," said Regional Director Wessels. "Grand Canyon National Park has provided an excellent analysis of the impacts the elimination of bottled water would have, and has developed a well-thought-out plan for ensuring that the safety, needs and comfort of visitors continue to be met in the park. I feel confident that the impacts to park concessioners and partners have been given fair consideration and that this plan can be implemented with minimal impacts to the visiting public."
Increasing amounts of litter associated with disposable plastic bottles along trails both on the rim and within the inner canyon have been found at Grand Canyon National Park. The litter mars canyon viewpoints and visitor experiences.
"We want to minimize both the monetary and environmental costs associated with water packaged in disposable containers," said Grand Canyon Superintendent Dave Uberuaga. "We are grateful to the Director for recognizing the need for service-wide guidance on this issue and for providing a thoughtful range of options."
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