10 of the 12 types of classified springs found in the world - are found within Grand Canyon National Park. Imagine how vast and complicated the geology of Grand Canyon is - to have this many spring types.

Illustrations and information on this page courtesy of the Museum of Northern Arizona Springs Stewardship Institute. For more detailed information about spring types visit their website: springstewardshipinstitute.org

Illustrations and information on this page courtesy of the Museum of Northern Arizona Springs Stewardship Institute. For more detailed information about spring types visit their website: https://springstewardshipinstitute.org/

When most people think of water at Grand Canyon, they immediately picture the raging Colorado River. The water in that river travels through Grand Canyon like a boater, passing by on a journey elsewhere. Not native to Grand Canyon, the water in the Colorado River travels from distant mountain streams on its way to the Pacific Ocean.

Seeps and springs - the true local water of Grand Canyon - offer significant resources to visitors and wildlife alike. The water from Roaring Springs, for example, provides the park with its entire domestic water supply. And at even the smallest seeps, abundant plant and animal life grows and flourishes. In fact, the ecosystems of seeps and springs represent some of the most complicated, diverse, productive, provocative, and threatened ecosystems on earth.