Grand Canyon trails shut down due to chlorine gas leak at main water supply
Water from Roaring Springs is treated with chlorine to disinfect and to control microbes within it, officials noted.
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GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. – A chlorine gas leak at Grand Canyon National Park’s main water supply has forced park officials to close all inner canyon corridor trails.
Officials said the leak occurred at Roaring Springs, a large spring that supplies the park with all of its drinking water.
Water from Roaring Springs is treated with chlorine to disinfect and control microbes within it, officials noted. To treat the water, cylinders of chlorine gas are routinely flown into the spring.
The leak has now forced the National Park Service to close nearby trails to day and overnight hikers until further notice.
Roaring Springs.
(NPS)
One of these areas includes the North Kaibab Trail, where hikers can see Roaring Springs. The springwater is also run underneath the trail by way of a buried pipeline, according to the NPS.
Other affected trails include the Bright Angel Trail, where the pipeline from Roaring Springs runs along the underside of the trail’s Silver Bridge, and the South Kaibab Trail.
Contact with chlorine gas may cause eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It may also cause the eyes, nose and throat to burn, and cause airways to become swollen and constricted.