For the fourth time in the last 16 years, which is when a continuous gauge was installed for the United State Geological Survey, the monitor gage at Jacob’s Well reported zero flow.
“The significance of the fact that USGS reported a 0.0 cubic feet per second flow is that the groundwater system in the Middle Trinity aquifers are at historic low levels,” Robin Gary, managing director of Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, said. “The springs show the force of the groundwater coming out and if there isn’t that supply of water, it won’t come out. That water is what all the well owners are using. We are a groundwater-supplied community, and our springs show us what is happening underground. This is the window into the aquifer.”
When the flow of Jacob’s Well dips, it causes problems throughout the ecosystem downstream. In 2020, Cypress Creek was added to the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality list of impaired waterways. The issues noted are low amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water, which leads to issues for both fish and other organisms that live in the creek.
