Tourism is sucking Utah dry. Now it faces a choice - growth or survival?

Thousands of tourists descend on this waterway year after year, even as this region and others across the American west fall deeper into drought. Fueled by the climate crisis and the overuse of dwindling water resources, the drought threatens the safety and sustainability of the spectacular sights; at the same time, tourists and the industries that cater to them contribute to an unfolding crisis in the cherished lands that brought them there.

Zion itself saw a nearly 50% jump in visitation between 2014 and 2019, according to an analysis by the University of Utah. About 1.7 million more visitors went to the park in that five-year span, and they brought their wallets with them. In 2019 alone, Zion visitors dropped an estimated $1,133 one party a stay and contributed a record $434m to local economies, according to the analysis.

Along with millions of tourists, retirees and remote workers have descended on this region recently, lured by stunning views and opportunities for recreation. Home to roughly 180,000 people, Washington county officials are preparing for the population to more than double in the next three decades, just as water supplies across the region wane.

But rather than curbing growth, requiring residents to rip up their lawns, or limiting allotments to already established resorts, golf courses, and other attractions, Utah is searching for new supply in an increasingly water-scarce region.

A controversial pipeline that would pump water from the beleaguered Lake Powell reservoir across the desert and into St George has been pushed for by state lawmakers and water managers for decades. States that rely on the rapidly declining Colorado River, which feeds into that reservoir, have pushed back heavily against the plan, citing shortages in the system are already being felt.