Water
Xanterra operates three marinas and has numerous facilities located adjacent to pristine lakes. This includes Crater Lake, ranked as the country’s clearest water, and sensitive habitats such as the Everglades. Xanterra is also located in desert climates like Zion, Death Valley, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon National Parks, where water resources are scarce. Therefore, the company recognizes that water quality protection and water conservation are of the utmost importance when it comes to operating tourist facilities in such sensitive areas.
As a standard practice, Xanterra has equipped nearly all guest rooms with water efficient fixtures: showers use between 1.5 and 2 gallons per minute, all new toilets consume at worst 1.6 gallons per flush, and faucet aerators decrease flow to between 0.5 and 1 gallon per minute.
Low-flow Isn’t Low Enough
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One of the newest technologies on the market is the Zurn urinal, using only 0.12 gallons to flush, an 85 percent reduction over even the most efficient dual flush toilets. Xanterra has tested this technology at the Grand Canyon and it has proven effective. At Crater Lake, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, and several other park locations, the company has installed ultra low-flow faucets and toilets, including waterless urinals and dual flush toilets. At Bryce Canyon, 40 dual-flush Caroma toilets were installed in 2006. Waterless urinals at public restrooms in three lodges save approximately 150,000 gallons of water per year. To save water at Zion, the company reduced irrigation of landscaped areas, resulting in water savings of more than 9 million gallons in one season, decreasing usage by 40 percent. Our companywide linen reuse program, where towels and sheets are only laundered when directed by guests, has an estimated 75 percent participation rate. Additionally, at the Grand Canyon, Xanterra uses around 60,000 gallons of reclaimed water for nonpotable purposes in its kennels, employee bathrooms and landscape irrigation. At Zion, the South Rim, and several other locations, Xanterra continues to educate guests and staff on the benefits of water conservation, serves water only on request in the dining rooms, and implements an aggressive maintenance program where all water leaks and potential leaks are immediately reported and repaired. |
Saving Water In a Desert: Death Valley National Park
With an annual rainfall of less than two inches, Death Valley is a prime area to target water efficiency and conservation efforts. Currently, Xanterra receives water for its resort operations there from several springs located on site. Our water usage there has been approximately 428,000,000 gallons per year. In 2005 and 2006, Xanterra embarked upon a water conservation and efficiency effort to reduce that volume. Since you can’t conserve what you can’t measure, as a first task Xanterra and the NPS installed new water measuring devices and valves to control and measure the quantity and flow of water received. Xanterra has since kept careful records of water use and flows. Next, Xanterra implemented the following water conservation measures:
- replaced all open irrigation ditches with pipe
- installed an impermeable liner in the golf course and property ponds and open irrigation ditches
- replaced water closets with low flow units as replacement becomes necessary
- installed low-flow shower heads at lodging units
- employed an environmental/resource management employee, whose duties include improving water use and conservation at Xanterra facilities
