Kanarraville Falls closes for pipeline repairs

Stock composite image, St. George News

KANARRAVILLE – Maintenance to a public water system will close the popular Kanarraville Falls hiking trail April 3-6.

The trail is being closed to ensure public safety, Bureau of Land Management St. George Area Field Office spokesman Christian Venhuizen said in a statement.

Kanarraville Falls trail is located in the Spring Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area which is managed by the BLM.

The town of Kanarraville maintains a right-of-way for a pipeline that supplies drinking water to the community, Venhuizen said.

In places, the pipeline has become exposed by weather and hikers; falling rocks pose a hazard to the pipeline in other sections.

The trail begins on property maintained by Kanarraville and the town has agreed to close that portion. Iron County Sheriff’s Office will enforce the closure.

Work on the pipeline will require equipment to move through the creek in the wilderness study area. Staff from the BLM’s Cedar City Field Office will monitor the work to help protect natural resources.

 Kanarraville established the right-of-way for the pipeline with the BLM in 1969. In 1991, the town requested to move the pipeline as it made repairs, which resulted in an environmental assessment and subsequent approval by the BLM.

Spring Creek Canyon lies along the boundary of Zion National Park in the southeast corner of Iron County.

 The 4,433-acre Spring Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area includes a portion of the Hurricane Cliffs, an impressive west-facing escarpment that extends from north of Cedar City into northwestern Arizona.

Two major canyons, Kanarra and Spring Creek, bisect the wilderness study area elevations ranging from 5,600 feet at the base of the cliffs to almost 7,900 feet on the ridge tops.

Vegetation consists primarily of juniper, scrub oak, shrubs and grasses; along the riparian zone, sedges, rushes, cottonwoods and willows are prevalent in the riparian zones.

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