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NPS adding water bottle filling stations throughout Grand Canyon NP
With the height of tourist season at Grand Canyon National Park right around the corner, the NPS is completing the installation of new water bottle filling stations in the park. In an effort to reduce disposable water bottle waste, there will be nine new filling stations where one can refill their own bottle with Grand Canyon spring water.

Six of the new filling stations will be located on the South Rim. They will provide year-round access to free spring water and installation should be completed by now:

Hermits Rest (located near the other public amenities)
Bright Angel Trailhead
South Kaibab Trailhead
Grand Canyon Visitor Center
Verkamp Visitor Center
Desert View Visitor Center

The remaining three filling stations will be located on the North Rim. Installation will be completed for the summer season:

North Kaibab Trailhead
North Rim Visitor Center
North Rim Backcountry Office

The installation of the new water bottle filling stations is part of a green initative throughout the park; litter from water bottles is a huge problem for the park. Tim Jarrell, the park’s Chief of Facilities Management says that “the amount of litter associated with disposable water bottles has been increasing along park trails and walkways, it’s one of the major contributors of trash below the rim, and it’s currently estimated that disposable water bottles make up as much as 30 percent of the park’s solid waste stream.”

maxpower wrote:There was some discussion about this over on the yahoo grand canyon forum. From most accounts, these filling stations have not been installed yet. I was at Grandview trail last weekend and there was nothing, nor was there a filling station at Hermit trail the previous weekend.

azbackpackr wrote:

maxpower wrote:There was some discussion about this over on the yahoo grand canyon forum. From most accounts, these filling stations have not been installed yet. I was at Grandview trail last weekend and there was nothing, nor was there a filling station at Hermit trail the previous weekend.

I wonder if it will be at the trailhead at Hermit, or at Hermit's Rest. I might go do Hermit-Dripping Springs on Sunday (if I can get all this danged homework done) so will look again.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials at the Grand Canyon abruptly abandoned plans to ban the sale of plastic water bottles at the Arizona national park after conversations with Coca-Cola officials, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Stephen P. Martin, who crafted the plan, told the newspaper that the effort was scrapped after Coca-Cola officials raised concerns about the plan through the National Park Foundation. He was told the effort was being tabled about two weeks before its scheduled Jan. 1 start.

Coca-Cola, which distributes water under the Dasani brand, has donated more than $13 million to...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/scien ... e-ban.html

autumnstars wrote:It seems Grand Canyon had been planning an outright ban on the sale of bottled water in the park.
That is, until Coke stepped in...

Bottle ban ended after talks with Coke

WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials at the Grand Canyon abruptly abandoned plans to ban the sale of plastic water bottles at the Arizona national park after conversations with Coca-Cola officials, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Stephen P. Martin, who crafted the plan, told the newspaper that the effort was scrapped after Coca-Cola officials raised concerns about the plan through the National Park Foundation. He was told the effort was being tabled about two weeks before its scheduled Jan. 1 start.

Coca-Cola, which distributes water under the Dasani brand, has donated more than $13 million to...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/scien ... e-ban.html