Drought, population boom impacting popular Hill Country watering holes

WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — As temperatures warm up, many Central Texas watering holes will start to become popular destinations, but as the drought continues and populations grow in the Hill Country, conservationists are worried about the future of our favorite spots.

With less water feeding into these areas water levels can decrease and flow can stop.

Drought is one concern, but with populations growing in the Hill Country, that also means more water will be used.

Headwater communities like Wimberley supply water to many downstream communities, so if less water is flowing upstream, that affects the streams, rivers and lakes downstream.

That's why conservationists are trying to educate people on how they can preserve these resources.

"As far as what our aquifers are doing right now, we are a little better off than we were last year at this time, but we are just about to go into the high water period where folks turn on their sprinkler systems and start using a lot more irrigation water outdoors," said Robin Gary with the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association.

Jacob's Well, a popular swimming hole in Wimberley, has stopped flowing three times in recorded history, but if more action isn't taken to conserve water, it could happen more often.

Using less water and protecting recharge zones around the Hill Country is vital to protecting the waterways, said Virginia Parker with the San Marcos River Foundation.

"Blue Hole, the San Marcos River, or the Devil's River, it is coming out of the ground," Parker said. "So, if we don't protect that groundwater through the protection of the recharge zone, then we are going to lose these places and our grandkids are not going to know these special pristine waterways."