Environment
BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN
A lengthy drought and exponential growth have strained groundwater resources in Hays County. Hays County o cials announced swimming has been suspended at Jacob’s Well Natural Area for the 2024 swimming season—May 1 to Sept. 30— due to below-average spring ow and water levels. What you need to know Jacob’s Well is a spring-fed swimming area in Wimberley that has been closed for swimming by the Hays County Parks Department since June 2022, when recorded spring ow dropped below average, according to a news release. In October 2022, the spring ow reached zero, making it the fth time in recorded history that Jacob’s Well had stopped owing. Since then, the swimming hole has remained at or near zero ow for approximately two years. What they’re saying Katherine Sturdivant, Hays County parks educa- tion coordinator, said one of the factors aecting the ow at Jacob’s Well is a multiyear drought and increased demand on the Trinity Aquifer, which supplies Jacob’s Well. “Texas’ drought of record extended from 1950- 57, but according to written and oral histories, Jacob’s Well did not stop owing. Now, we’ve got a lot more folks relying on that aquifer, and we have seen Jacob’s Well quit owing for a sixth time,” Sturdivant said in a news release. Swimming paused at Jacob’s Well in Hays County
Jacob’s Well Natural Area will remain open daily from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. for hiking and viewing the spring.
AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN COMMUNITY IMPACT
Charlie Flatten, general manager for the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, described Jacob’s Well as a “window” into the aquifer, emphasizing that the Trinity Aquifer is not receiving the normal amount of recharge. “We’ve been in a horrible, horrible drought for the past 18 to 24 months. We’re about 50 inches below our normal rain levels over the last 5 years,” Flatten told Community Impact . Flatten also said the “unprecedented growth” in western Hays County coupled with a lack of rain has created a “serious situation” for Jacob’s Well. “If we continue to have the level of growth that we’ve had in the past, the Trinity Aquifer will not be able to sustain the growth by itself. We’ll have to nd some alternative water supply to serve the new people that are moving in,” Flatten said. Hays County o cials plan to re-evaluate water conditions monthly.
Jacob's Well annual estimated discharge Water that is in motion is measured in cubic feet per second, or cfs. According to Hays County o cials, Jacob's Well has to maintain at least 4 cfs over a period of two to four weeks, in order to be open for swimming.
25
20
4 cfs required for swimming.
15
10
5
0
SOURCE: UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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