Lake Havasu and Brain-Eating Amoebas

Above, Lake Havasu, Arizona. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While I was at Lake Havasu, Arizona last week, friend Mitch Geriminsky told me that he hasn't been in the waters of Lake Havasu for three years due to amoebas in the water.

I've heard of brain-eating amoebas before. They dwell in freshwater lakes and rivers in temperatures up to around 115°.

I did a Google check on this and found a recent news story by KTAR News.

It begins with:

PHOENIX — Health officials said a suspected case of a rare brain-eating amoeba in Arizona turned out to be negative for the infection.

Specimens of the suspected case of Naegleria Fowleri were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing and determined to not be positive, Eugene Livar, assistant director of public health preparedness for the Arizona Department of Health Services, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

The suspected case occurred in Mohave County.

Naegleria Fowleri infections typically occur when people go swimming, diving or put their heads under fresh water, such as lakes or rivers.

The infection cannot be spread between people.

The only positive case of brain-eating amoeba from Lake Havasu occurred in 2007.

To read more, go here.

2018 Tourism Boon For Grand Canyon's Local Economy

Above, Hermit's Rest at the South Rim. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The National Park Service released a report on how much tourism benefited local communities near Grand Canyon National Park in 2018.

It was a whopper of an amount!

KTAR News reported:

PHOENIX — A new report from the National Park Service showed that Grand Canyon tourists contributed more than $1 billion to the local economy in 2018. 

The report, released Tuesday, said that 6.3 million visitors to Grand Canyon National Park spent $947 million in communities near the park. 

The spending supported almost 13,000 local jobs and had a cumulative benefit of $1.2 billion to the local economy last year.

That's a lot of revenue!

To read more, go here. 

Grand Canyon South Rim To Get New Water Pipeline

Above, Trailer Village at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A badly-needed water pipeline to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is going to be replaced after a 50-year-old pipeline bit the dust.

According to KTAR News:

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — The National Park Service plans to partially replace and shorten the frequently broken 50-year-old pipeline that supplies water to the Grand Canyon National Park hotels, campgrounds, staff housing and other facilities on the South Rim. 

An announcement Wednesday said the newly approved plan includes replacing 3 miles (5 kilometers) of the pipeline and building new treatment facilities and tanks.

To read more, go here.

Grand Canyon Drew Almost $1 Billion Economic Benefit

Above, the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The local economy surrounding Grand Canyon National Park saw nearly $1 billion in benefit.

According to KTAR:

PHOENIX — A report released Tuesday by the National Park Service showed the Grand Canyon had a total benefit on the local economy of $904.3 million in 2016. 

The report showed that nearly six million people visited the Arizona tourist attraction last year, spending $648.1 million in nearby communities. That spending helped fund 9,779 jobs.

To read more, go here.