PAST AND PRESENT HYDROGEOLOGY RESEARCH AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Grand Canyon National Park has a rich and growing legacy of hydrogeological science. The complex and deep hydrogeology of the arid to semi-arid region influences some unique and novel land and resource management. The hydrogeology of the park varies greatly between the North and South Rims and from East to West along the trend of the canyon, and is highly influenced by the effects of regional structure and karst development. Recent research has included a regional groundwater flow model, LIDAR analysis of the karst landscape of the Kaibab Plateau on the North RIm, the impact of uranium mining on water quality, springs ecosystems diversity, and the role of highly developed karst and cave systems draining to the regional aquifer. Research related to the abundance of cave and karst features and active and inactive travertine deposits has only begun and will yield extensive important results in the future, some relating to the formation of the canyon itself. Some recent research has been motivated by the challenges brought to the region by uranium mining, forest and range management, municipal groundwater utilization, and climate change. Research continues but is hampered by a lack of resources, the deep and remote nature of the aquifer and its associated features, and a bifurcated system of water law, policy and management.