Why water flow continues to slow at Jacob’s Well

WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — If you were hoping to swim in Jacob’s Well this summer, the chances are not looking good.

In a Facebook post, Hays County Parks posted that Jacob’s Well is suspending its 2024 summer swimming season until further notice.

Summer swimming season typically runs from May 1 through Sept. 30.

The popular swimming hole was suspended because of below average spring flow and water levels.

Hays County officials plan to reevaluate conditions on a month-to-month basis to see if Jacob’s Well could open later this summer.

In January, KXAN reported , “After months of dry conditions, recent rainfall has restored flow to Jacob’s Well again. The Hays County watering hole experienced zero flow of water starting in July 2023. That only happened six times since summer 2000, according to the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association.”

Prolonged drought closed the spot for swimming since 2022.

Why is it not flowing?

Robert Mace, Ph.D., Meadows Center Executive Director, said flow continues to slow at Jacob’s Well due to a prolonged drought and increases in groundwater pumping because of population growth.

“With the growth in the Hill Country and increased pumping, we’re seeing increased effects on water levels and aquifers. And that expresses itself through spring flow,” he said.

Groundwater provides around 60% of Texas’ total water use, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. Mace said if the state continues to rely so heavily on groundwater, more springs will dry up.

And even though Central Texas has seen decent rain in 2024, Mace said it has not been nourishing nor in the right location to affect Jacob’s Well significantly.

“[The heavier rain] has mostly been along Interstate 35, or east of Interstate 35,” he said. “[Another] issue is that when we get rain, and the sun pops out for a week, it can evaporate all that water. It doesn’t give it time to trickle down to the aquifer or doesn’t saturate the soils.”

Still, if there is a sizable rain in the right location, it could get the well flowing again.

“There is hope there that when the drought ends — when we get rain — we’ll see flow,” Mace said.

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