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Article in today's local rag...
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
A little more than five years ago, Jacob's Well, a natural spring that is the chief source for the creek that runs through Wimberley, went dry for the first time in recorded history. Hoping to stave off a repeat of that small disaster, a nonprofit group announced Tuesday that it had purchased the land surrounding Jacob's Well for nearly $2 million.
After a series of deals brokered over the past year, the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association closed on about 45 acres, enough to form a quarter-mile or so buffer around the spring, on Dec. 29.
The association plans to dedicate the land, along with 5 acres purchased two years ago, to research and education activities. The land, which will be known as the Jacob's Well Natural Area, is about 3 miles northwest of Wimberley.
Jacob's Well, which the association says was last in the hands of a single owner in the 19th century, is a prime source for Cypress Creek, which runs through Wimberley and forms Blue Hole, a beloved swimming hole just east of town.
"It's really an invaluable natural resource," said Patrick Cox, the president of the association. He said the well figures prominently in the health of the region's groundwater. "We wanted to make sure it's in a protected state."
The money for the land came from an anonymous lender; Cox said the association will try to raise about $3 million during the next several years to pay back the loan and pay for research facilities on the property.
Last year the city purchased the 126-acre Blue Hole property for $3 million in part to preserve the land in the face of regionwide development.
Development, coupled with a drought, led to the spring's running dry in the summer of 2000: There was no measurable flow, and Cypress Creek was "basically just ponds," Cox said.
Tennis courts, an RV park and several buildings occupy some of the land purchased around Jacob's Well, and the association may destroy some of the structures to encourage replenishment of the groundwater and limit rainwater runoff pollution.
Jacob's Well does have a dark side. It is commonly thought to be the longest underwater cave in Texas: At least eight divers have died there in the past three decades, and the area was closed to recreational divers after the most recent death, in 1984.
Cox said Jacob's Well would not be revived as a large-scale recreational swimming area like Blue Hole. In recent years it has served as a monitoring station for the United States Geological Service.
Residents here appear to support the preservation efforts.
"If you protect Jacob's Well, it makes the water cleaner," said Wanda Graham, who has lived near the site for about eight years. "Without Cypress Creek, there's no Blue Hole."
The purchase has important policy implications, Hays County Commissioner Will Conley said.
"Ultimately its biggest asset is awareness and education over time, so people can witness with their own eyes how this impacts the whole valley," Conley said.
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
A little more than five years ago, Jacob's Well, a natural spring that is the chief source for the creek that runs through Wimberley, went dry for the first time in recorded history. Hoping to stave off a repeat of that small disaster, a nonprofit group announced Tuesday that it had purchased the land surrounding Jacob's Well for nearly $2 million.
After a series of deals brokered over the past year, the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association closed on about 45 acres, enough to form a quarter-mile or so buffer around the spring, on Dec. 29.
The association plans to dedicate the land, along with 5 acres purchased two years ago, to research and education activities. The land, which will be known as the Jacob's Well Natural Area, is about 3 miles northwest of Wimberley.
Jacob's Well, which the association says was last in the hands of a single owner in the 19th century, is a prime source for Cypress Creek, which runs through Wimberley and forms Blue Hole, a beloved swimming hole just east of town.
"It's really an invaluable natural resource," said Patrick Cox, the president of the association. He said the well figures prominently in the health of the region's groundwater. "We wanted to make sure it's in a protected state."
The money for the land came from an anonymous lender; Cox said the association will try to raise about $3 million during the next several years to pay back the loan and pay for research facilities on the property.
Last year the city purchased the 126-acre Blue Hole property for $3 million in part to preserve the land in the face of regionwide development.
Development, coupled with a drought, led to the spring's running dry in the summer of 2000: There was no measurable flow, and Cypress Creek was "basically just ponds," Cox said.
Tennis courts, an RV park and several buildings occupy some of the land purchased around Jacob's Well, and the association may destroy some of the structures to encourage replenishment of the groundwater and limit rainwater runoff pollution.
Jacob's Well does have a dark side. It is commonly thought to be the longest underwater cave in Texas: At least eight divers have died there in the past three decades, and the area was closed to recreational divers after the most recent death, in 1984.
Cox said Jacob's Well would not be revived as a large-scale recreational swimming area like Blue Hole. In recent years it has served as a monitoring station for the United States Geological Service.
Residents here appear to support the preservation efforts.
"If you protect Jacob's Well, it makes the water cleaner," said Wanda Graham, who has lived near the site for about eight years. "Without Cypress Creek, there's no Blue Hole."
The purchase has important policy implications, Hays County Commissioner Will Conley said.
"Ultimately its biggest asset is awareness and education over time, so people can witness with their own eyes how this impacts the whole valley," Conley said.
