Vaseys Paradise, a spring, flows out the red rock wall of the Grand Canyon with greenery growing around
M. Jenkins, National Park Service

Proposed Tusayan Development

Taking a close look at the proposed Tusayan development that threatens to guzzle up Grand Canyon’s waters

Water is scarce in the Grand Canyon region

For every proposed development near the Grand Canyon, we ask: Where will the water come from?

This question has sparked debate in the town of Tusayan, Arizona, where a developer wants to build a mega-resort on the doorstep of Grand Canyon National Park.

A brown road sign outside Tusayan indicating that Grand Canyon National Park is two miles ahead
Blake McCord

About the proposed Tusayan development

Hotels, shopping centers, a conference center, and more

The developer’s plan to build 2,500 hotel rooms, a convention center, possible dude ranch, and private residences would more than double the size of the town of Tusayan.

Thousands more faucets, tubs, and toilets would guzzle already scarce groundwater that feeds the Grand Canyon’s seeps and springs, strain existing infrastructure, and negatively impact the surrounding national forest and national park. We’re working to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Ask the Forest Service to take a closer look at the development

Where would the Tusayan development get its water?

The Stilo Development Group says it anticipates hauling water to its 1.8 million square feet of new commercial development.

The company has not disclosed the source of water or addressed the feasibility of running more than 45 tanker trucks roundtrip, every day, to satisfy peak season water demand.

Read the latest on the blog

Protect the Grand Canyon from a mega-resort. Ask the Forest Service to take a closer look at the proposal.

A waterfall cascades over rocks, surrounded by lush green foliage and blooming purple flowers.
Amy S. Martin

What’s at stake?

Plants, animals, and people of the Grand Canyon region. New developments like the one Stilo is proposing threaten to pump more water from an already shrinking supply of groundwater.

A cross section of Grand Canyon geology showing the rock layers and layers of groundwater
Graphic by Stephanie Smith

Where does Tusayan get its water?

All of Tusayan’s water comes from groundwater. Wells in Tusayan tap into the Redwall-Muav aquifer, which sits more than 3,000 feet beneath the surface. This aquifer is the primary source for the Grand Canyon’s seeps, springs, and streams.

Increased pumping would further deplete the already stressed aquifer. The National Park Service has documented long-term declines in flows of springs beneath the canyon’s south rim.

A blue heron stands in the turquoise waters of the Little Colorado River.
Amy S. Martin

Tusayan development puts people, plants, and animals at risk

It’s not just willows, ferns, birds, and bighorn sheep that rely on Grand Canyon waters. The lifeway of the Havasupai people, whose sole source of drinking water comes from the Redwall-Muav aquifer, is also at risk. Current and future pumping of groundwater from the aquifer will cause irreparable harm to the tribe.

Read the Havasupai Tribe’s opposition to the Tusayan development (PDF)

The Forest Service needs to hear from you.

Tell them why you care about the Grand Canyon and ask them to take a closer look at the Tusayan development and protect the Grand Canyon’s precious waters.

Comment now

Learn more about the Grand Canyon’s waters

A colorful sunset compliments the spectacular formations of Cape Royal on the Grand Canyon's north rim.
Rick Goldwasser

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