Even though Jacob’s Well flooded this week due to all the rain, the beloved swimming hole in Wimberley is still playing catch-up and folks won't be able to cool off in it quite yet.
“We would still want to keep swimming off-limits, to kind of let the headwaters continue to heal itself," said Jessica Wollin, education and outreach coordinator with the Hays County Parks Department. “It is home to fish and turtles, a handful of very important microorganisms that help filter the water, and it is their home before we can jump in it.”
The park around the well also flooded Thursday. It remained closed Friday as crews cleared and repaired trails.
Wollin said the swimming hole got 4 inches of rain in recent days. The flash floods may look like they're recharging the well, she said, but the flow rate will likely drop in the next couple of weeks.
Swimming has not been allowed at Jacob's Well since 2022, when the water dropped below average. The swimming hole hasn’t had consistent water flow since June of that year and even stopped flowing that October.
Jacob’s Well averages 36 inches of rain annually. Over the past three years, it has fallen short about 50 inches, Wollin said.
More water is taken out of the aquifers that feed Jacob's Well each year, and not enough is going back in to recharge them. The local groundwater source is not accustomed to the growing population in the Austin area, she said.
"Multiple counties need to be on the same page as far as water use and development goes," she said, "but we need everybody to care."
Wollin said she is grateful for the unexpected flood this week and is hopeful for upcoming summers.
“Fingers crossed [for] next year or the year after," she said. “We definitely want to see this flow sustain itself before folks jump in.”
