The Natural Springs of Texas are Disappearing

The aquifers of Austin’s hill country are in grave danger of drying out, according to reports from the Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. Central Texas is currently facing an unprecedented drought that could dry out sections of the Edwards Aquifer, including Austin’s Barton Springs.

“Unless we make a major shift in how we use drinking water, we will outgrow our resources. Even if it starts raining again,” said Charlie Flatten, the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District general manager in Dripping Springs, Texas.

Although the water supply of Austin comes more from the Colorado River than the natural aquifers of the Hill Country, over 50,000 citizens rely on the Barton Springs segment alone. Around 2 million people across Texas get their water from the Edwards Aquifer, and many groundwater districts are instituting stricter regulations to avoid a statewide crisis. Austin has been in a state of “exceptional” drought, the highest of the four levels used by climate experts, since the beginning of summer, according to The National Integrated Drought Information System. With consistent, record-breaking heat and an almost total lack of rain, many of the natural springs of Texas are quickly dwindling.

While there is not much Austin could do about the weather, there are many other factors to be controlled and improved upon by both the city governments and the citizens using groundwater every day. Flatten said he believes stricter limits on pumping and personal water use could be the best course of action.

“Watering one’s lawn uses almost half of all the water used in Texas in the summer months,” Flatten said. “At some point, we will have to decide whether we want green lawns or to be able to flush our toilets.” 

Private companies, like Aqua Texas, make the issue increasingly dire by continuing to pump millions more gallons than they’re permitted to. Although Austin is not directly impacted by over-pumping, Flatten explained that aquifers supply over half of Texas’s drinking water resources, and in the Hill Country, that number may rise to 100%.

Lindsey Sydow, one of Austin’s leading watershed hydrogeologists, said exceptional droughts attack groundwater reservoirs on many fronts.

“We look at many different indicators, [such as] the moisture of the soil, groundwater levels and river flow,” Sydow said. Still, everything points to one conclusion. This may be the driest the city has ever been.

Although this dilemma may not be immediately apparent to the common Austinite, groundwater levels are rapidly diminishing with no signs of slowing. Sydow said the limestone aquifers that have been supporting humans for a millennium rely on natural recharge from rainfall. She worries no amount of rain could return them to their healthy state.

Drought episodes, like the one Central Texas has been facing for months, are caused by interrupted weather patterns, ultimately throwing the water cycle off balance. As the air gets hotter, and the surface water disappears, ecosystems can change and die out, according to the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. The toolkit aids the public in understanding the many impacts of climate change with various resources and guidelines. These sudden changes can be especially detrimental to vulnerable communities with fewer reliable sources of clean water. Although the effects of climate change often affect disadvantaged people most extremely, the dangers of the drought will not discriminate.

“When an aquifer completely dries up, a substantial number of folk will have no water for household use. And, the rivers will not flow,” Flatten said.

Sydow said Austin’s watershed department does everything possible to avoid the vital resource fading away, but sometimes nature must take its course. Sydow and her team constantly monitor and report the effects of the drought and attempt to get to the bottom of its causes. Still, she recommends that people stay calm and be careful with how much water they waste.

The damage to the Edwards Aquifer may not be immediately apparent to people who don’t depend on it to survive, but some nature lovers have been able to notice the drought with their own eyes. Kyle Eaton, an avid hiker and citizen of Austin, said that he could tell something was wrong when the creeks he frequented underwent significant transformations.

“All of the cool creeks and wells were one of the main reasons I moved to Austin,” Eaton said. “Almost all of them are completely dried up now.”

The groundwater withdrawing from below his feet may have been difficult to visualize, but Eaton said seeing the environment change before his eyes is much more tangible and terrifying. While the climate warms and forces environments to undergo transformations, many of the changes will be just as tough to ignore.

One of Eaton’s favorite natural destinations is Jacob’s Well, which usually flows with water from the Trinity Aquifer, closely intertwined with the flow of the Edwards Aquifer. The Trinity Aquifer alone provides water for about 30% of America’s essential irrigation systems, so naturally, its levels are closely monitored and studied. However, Eaton said the situation at Jacob’s Well paints an alarming picture.

“I know a lot of people need water from there, but it’s not flowing anymore. There’s no creek around it, and it’s just stagnant now,” Eaton said.

The effects of the drought will directly affect an essential resource, in addition to it being a destructive hit to the businesses relying on the aquifers and above ground creeks. With Austin’s enormous tourism and recreation economy, the dropping creek and spring water levels are sure to cause waterside restaurants and countless boat tour companies to lose revenue.

After three years of prolonged La Niña, a powerful climate pattern formed from stronger than usual winds in the Pacific Ocean that disrupt atmospheric circulation and usually lead to severe droughts in the southern states of America, the Edwards Aquifer will need time to recover. More specifically, it will need an enormous amount of rain in its respective recharge zones to return to normal. Although La Niña may offer one explanation for why this drought ended up in Texas, steps must be taken in order to weaken the harm that it will inflict on people and businesses.

These alarming changes in the environment may appear irreversible, but Eaton said he thinks if the cities around Austin did more to educate the citizens about the source of their water and what’s happening to it, people would realize their direct impact on the environment they rely on.

The seasons are changing, and with that, people are given hope. Yet, the drought is not over, and the residual damage remains. The ground has crusted over, and it will take time and effort to restore the aquifers and springs of Texas to their healthy state. But, as Sydow clarified, all is not lost.

“We all play a role in our environment, whether we like it or not,” Sydow said. “We must take responsibility for our world and take the steps to put nature back into balance.”