Photos: Grand Canyon development amid a limited water supply

Visitors cast their shadows on a boulder while photographing the Grand Canyon from Mather Point. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

July 6, 2014 3 AM PT

Grand Canyon National Park is facing the most serious threat in its history, according to the National Park Service, which is opposed to two development projects it says would alter the vistas and exacerbate an already dire water shortage.

The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon as seen from Mohave Point, on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Mules and riders make their way back up a trail on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The proposed Grand Canyon Escalade would let tourists reach the canyon floor by gondola. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

John Cristi of San Jose, with the Grand Canyon as his backdrop, jumps as his photo is taken at Mather Point. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Tourists wait for a bus near the visitors center on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Park officials say a proposed housing development nearby would mean even less of already scarce water and could limit park tourism. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Tourists walk past a statue of an elk in Tusayan, Ariz. The town, near Grand Canyon National Park’s southern entrance, has approved a development project that would increase the town’s demand for water fourfold. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Rene Bejer of the Czech Republic takes a selfie from a cliff on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The park imports all water for its South Rim hotels, restaurants and amenities from springs on the north side of the canyon. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Visitors take in the canyon at sunset. About 5 million people visit the park each year. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Lance Haynie of Athens, Ga., checks out the view after passing through a tunnel on Bright Angel Trail. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

The view from Mather Point. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

A couple take a photograph from a cliff off the Rim Trail at Grand Canyon National Park. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Trying to capture nature’s spectacle. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Hikers pass through a tunnel on Bright Angel Trail. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

A condor is silhouetted against the canyon’s colorful walls. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

The sun sets over the Grand Canyon. “[The projects] are serious threats to the future of the park,” says Supt. Dave Uberuaga. “When you have that size and scope of potential development that close to the park, it will impact our visitor experience.” (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)