Grand Canyon National Park is using emergency water conservation measures to slow the draw on South Rim reserves as crews continue searching for missing hiker Tim Smith and assessing damage from the Aug. 29 flash flood, officials said Sept. 7.
The flood damaged critical infrastructure in the Canyon and left Smith missing after more than a week.
Smith was traveling with John Giusti and Brent Rosenkranz, who were confirmed to have died in the flood. Smith's wife, Carrie, last posted about the search for her husband on Sept. 8.
The park said teams had begun using aerial data collected by uncrewed aircraft to help assess the area and search for Smith.
The South Rim has relied on stored water since flooding damaged the park's water system. Park officials
said Aug. 31 that about two weeks of water was available in storage at the time, though how long it would last depended on daily use.
In a Sept. 7 update from the National Park, crews continued to assess damage and work to restore infrastructure and water service in the canyon.
Water conservation efforts offset about 105,000 gallons of potable water use each day on the South Rim, according to the update.
Stored water declined more slowly during the latest operational period than it typically does under normal conditions with unrestricted visitation, the park said.
More than 13,500 gallons of potable drinking water was also staged throughout the park.
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Rey Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Grand Canyon slows water loss as search for missing hiker continues
