GRAND CANYON, AZ — During the early morning on Thursday November 9, 2023, our water system did not provide adequate levels of chlorine in the water being used from Roaring Springs.
As a result, our water was not disinfected as the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) requires. Therefore, our water system violated a treatment technique standard for maintaining adequate disinfection for water delivered to customers from Roaring Springs. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct this situation. After this problem was identified, Operators immediately notified the State Drinking Water division and Grand Canyon started the process to identify the source of the failure. The source was identified, and adequate chlorination was restored on Friday morning, November 10, 2023.
What should I do?
There is nothing you need to do unless you have a compromised immune system, have an infant, or are elderly. These people may have been at increased risk when our system failed to provide adequate disinfection and should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. If you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.
You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. If a situation arises where the water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours. We will announce any emergencies through the Public Affairs office and posted at strategic locations within the park.
What does this mean?
This is not an emergency. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified within 24 hours.
Inadequately treated or inadequately protected water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, cramps, and associated headaches. While we have not detected any evidence of contamination or other health threats to our source water, we are committed to restoring the required level of treatment to the water from Roaring Springs to eliminate the threat of contamination.
What is being done?
Operators went to Roaring Springs to troubleshoot the chlorination pumps and determine the cause for loss of pressure and chlorination. The chlorine injection pumps were repaired and placed back in service.
When is the system expected to return to compliance?
November 10, 2023; the issue was resolved, and chlorination was reestablished.
For more information, please contact Treacy Stone at (928) 638-7730.
Please share this information with other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by the Grand Canyon National Park Public Water System.
Water System ID#: AZ03-702
Date distributed: November 13, 2023