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Jacob'sWell in Wimberley is seen Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, as the well continues a nearly year-long stretch of below normal flows.
William Luther/Staff
Anyone looking for relief from the summer heat at Jacob’s Well this summer should probably look somewhere else.
Hays County officials warn that water levels at the popular swimming hole in Wimberley are too low and that the artesian spring will remain closed “for the foreseeable future.” Normally Jacob’s Well opens for swimmers on May 1.
The decision to keep Jacob’s Well closed comes after a series of events. Last summer, the county banned swimming because of high bacteria counts in the water — then, later, because there was no water flowing.
In July, Jacob’s Well ran dry for the fourth time on record.
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Outflow of water from Jacob’s Well into Cypress Creek reached unsafe levels for swimming amid the drought crippling the region. The flow was just 0.04 cubic feet per second.
Nearly 90 percent of Hays County is in an extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation is under an “emergency stage” that has reduced groundwater pumping by 40 percent districtwide. The groundwater pumping within the Jacob’s Well groundwater-management zone is at 30 percent curtailment.
The district on its website is asking people to limit water use.
“Aquifer and river conditions have not been this poor in the 20 plus year history of the district – including the 2011 drought,” the district says on its website.
The Hays County Parks Department said on Facebook that it will not post its swimming reservation link on its website until it’s safe to swim at Jacob’s Well. Officials will post updates on Facebook and on the city’s website.
“We thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we do our best to protect our visitors and this very sensitive site,” officials said on Facebook.
timothy.fanning@express-news.net
