Jacob’s Well, the second-largest fully-submerged karstic spring in Texas, is running dry.
The Texas Hill Country spring flows from the bed of Cypress Creek northwest of Wimberley. The popular Central Texas swimming hole known as Jacob’s Well, located about 30 miles southwest of Austin, has no water flowing to it because of recent dry weather conditions and ground pumping.
“The U.S. Geologic Survey measured a zero cubic foot per second (cfs) discharge in recent days,” stated a post from Jacob’s Well Natural Area’s Facebook page.
Part of the longest underwater cave in Texas, Jacob’s Well was formed 200 years ago. An artesian spring pierced a two-mile layer of limestone, creating the pool.
Usually, the well is crowded with swimmers and vacationers in the summer. But due to drought conditions, the 140-foot-deep swimming hole has been off-limits to swimmers for weeks.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map released yesterday stated that Hays County, where Jacob’s Well is located, has Extreme Drought conditions.
In the last two decades, the well has only seen these conditions four times. Officials say conservation efforts have always been necessary to preserve the wildlife and maintain the well.
Visitors can still look at the spring and hike the surrounding area.
