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 flow dropped below average, according a news release.
In October 2022, the spring flow reached zero, making it the fifth time in recorded history that Jacob’s Well had stopped flowing. Since then, Jacob's Well has remained at or near zero flow for approximately two years.
Quote of note
Katherine Sturdivant, Hays County parks education coordinator, said one of the factors affecting the flow 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 flowing. Now, we’ve got a lot more folks relying on that aquifer, and we have seen Jacob’s Well quit flowing for a sixth time,” Sturdivant said in a news release.
What else?
Although swimming is suspended, Jacob’s Well Natural Area will remain open daily from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. for hiking and viewing the spring. Jacob’s Well Natural Area will also be extending its Saturday morning guided tour program through May.
Hays County officials plan to re-evaluate water conditions monthly to determine whether swimming will become possible at a later date.
