The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, formerly Aquarena Springs and later the Aquarena Center, is an educational center in San Marcos, Texas, that seeks to preserve the unique archeological and biological resources of Spring Lake. Formed from more than 200 artesian springs, this lake is one of the world's largest aquifer fed systems. A state antiquities landmark, this site is also believed to be one of the longest continuously inhabited places in North America. The Meadows Center provides educational programs, recreation, hands-on activities and collaborative projects that encourage visitors, scientists and students to learn about Spring Lake's habitat, endangered species and water/environmental resource management issues. There are glass-bottom boat rides , and the Discovery Center provides educational displays allowing people to view native animals and fish. Snorkeling and diving programs are offered with an educational emphasis and interpreter led field trips. The Meadows Center develops programs and techniques for ensuring sustainable water, economic resources as well as

ecosystem health Ecosystem health is a metaphor used to describe the condition of an ecosystem.Rapport, David (1998). "Defining ecosystem health." Pages 18-33 in Rapport, D.J. (ed.) (1998). ''Ecosystem Health.'' Blackwell Scientific. Ecosystem condition can vary ...

. The Center is used b
Texas State University
State University, and its multidisciplinary departments are involved with water resource management studies and research. The Meadows Center at Spring Lake Hall houses the Texas Stream Team, a volunteer program that monitors the water quality of freshwater systems throughout the state. The Center was established in 1994 when Texas State, formerly Southwest Texas University, purchased land that was previously used as an amusement park, including Spring Lake, then an artificial freshwater reservoir.

History

Natural habitat

The

San Marcos Springs San Marcos Springs is the second largest natural cluster of springs in Texas. The springs are located in the city of San Marcos, Texas, about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Austin and 46 miles (74 km) northeast of San Antonio. Althoug ...

are the

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

of the San Marcos River. Aquarian Center was designated as a "critical habitat," subject to the Endangered Species Act, because the springs are home to the

fountain darter The fountain darter (''Etheostoma fonticola'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in the h ...

, the

Texas Blind Salamander The Texas blind salamander (''Eurycea rathbuni'') is a rare cave-dwelling troglobite amphibian native to San Marcos, Hays County, Texas, specifically the San Marcos Pool of the Edwards Aquifer. Description The species has a broad, flat, snout ...

, the

San Marcos Salamander The San Marcos salamander (''Eurycea nana'') is a small species of aquatic, lungless salamander native to the United States, endemic to Spring Lake and a small region of the headwaters of the San Marcos River near Aquarena Springs, in Hays Cou ...

, the San Marcos gambusia, and Texas Wild Rice. The San Marcos gambusia may be extinct as none have been seen since 1983.

Early settlements

The site contains more than 200 springs with water from the

Edwards Aquifer The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. Located on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas, it is the source of drinking water for two million people, and is the primary water s ...

and that discharge an average of of water daily, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in North America. Artifacts discovered in digs conducted from 1979 to 1982 date back 12,000 years. The first Europeans to visit the springs were probably

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

explorers in 1689. The springs were an important stop on the

Old San Antonio Road The Old San Antonio Road was a historic roadway located in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. Parts of it were based on traditional Native American trails. Its Texas terminus was about southeast of Eagle Pass at the Rio Grande in Maveri ...

and the Chisholm Trail. In 1847, former Republic of Texas vice president

Edward Burleson Edward Burleson (December 15, 1798 – December 26, 1851) was the third vice president of the Republic of Texas. After Texas was annexed to the United States, he served in the State Senate. Prior to his government service in Texas, he was a co ...

purchased the land surrounding the headwaters of the river and built a cabin on the hill overlooking the headwaters. Two years later Burleson built a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

just below the springs to power a mill. This dam, which created Spring Lake, still exists today. Spring Lake has been visited by notable individuals including Robert E. Lee,

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made him ...

, and

Helen Miller Shepard Helen Miller Gould Shepard (June 20, 1868 – December 21, 1938) was an American philanthropist born in Manhattan in New York City. Birth Born as Helen Miller Gould, she was the first-born daughter of Jay Gould and Helen Day Miller (1838–188 ...

Aquarena Springs

A.B. Rogers purchased the property in 1926 and his son, Paul, developed a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

there in 1928 and introduced

glass bottom boat A glass-bottom boat is a boat with sections of glass, panoramic bottom glass or other suitable transparent material, below the waterline allowing passengers to observe the underwater environment from within the boat. The view through the glass b ...

s to the lake. In the 1950s, construction of a submarine theater and large

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure th ...

at one end of the lake to produce a swimming pool led to the opening of Aquarena Springs, an amusement park, at the site in 1951. Other features of the park were the Alpine Swiss Sky Ride (a

Von Roll Von Roll Holding AG is a Swiss industrial group that operates worldwide. It was founded in 1803. As one of Switzerland’s longest-established industrial companies, Von Roll focuses today on products and systems for electrical applications such ...

skyride), an Intamin 220 foot Sky Spiral that moved vertically above the lake and rotated 360°, and "Ralph, the Famous Swimming Pig" and "

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes ass ...

" performers that could be viewed from the submarine theater. The park also included a coin-operated

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

in which human visitors would "compete" in games like

Tic-tac-toe Tic-tac-toe (American English), noughts and crosses (Commonwealth English), or Xs and Os (Canadian or Irish English) is a paper-and-pencil game for two players who take turns marking the spaces in a three-by-three grid with ''X'' or ''O''. ...

against chickens, whose "moves" in the game were determined by pecking lights which appeared only on the chicken's side of the machine. At its peak, Aquarena Springs attracted 350,000 visitors annually. Aquarena Springs was on the cover of

Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...

and was featured in

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

. Since Aquarena Springs' closure, a documentary, ''Aquarena Springs and Ralph the Swimming Pig'', was created in 2011 by Bob Phillips.Documentary: Aquarena Springs and Ralph the Swimming Pig (2011)
/ref> The Mermaid Society of Texas, founded in 2016, now hosts an annual promenade and festival for the river, celebrating Aquarena's mermaids. In 2021, the Texas Congress passed ''Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 9'', recognizing Aquarena Springs, the Aquamaids, and Ralph the Swimming Pig, and San Marcos as the Mermaid Capital of Texas.

Environmental center

The site was acquired by Texas State University-San Marcos in 1994. Soon after, the demolition of Aquarena Springs' facilities commenced, finally concluding with the Submarine Theater and Sky Spiral in 2012. The new Meadows Center was created with an emphasis on habitat reclamation and environmental goals, adding a Wetlands Boardwalk in a shallow area of Spring Lake. The

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of brid ...

, made of recycled

plastic lumber Plastic lumber is a plastic form of lumber made of virgin or recycled plastic (PL or RPL, respectively.) It is mostly made of plastic and binders such as fiberglass or rebar; not to be confused with wood-plastic composite lumber. Widely employe ...

, floats on the water and circles a marshy area that showcases the flora and fauna of a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

Research

The main aim of the center is research. The MCWE participates in underwater archaeology. It searches for Henry Morgan’s lost fleet while exploring caves in Mexico, Spring Lake, and shipwrecks. The center uses unmanned aircraft (Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle) to capture photos and gather information for projects related to fisheries, wildlife, and watershed management and restoration.

International watershed studies

The Meadows Center is dedicated to the sustainable management of the world’s freshwater resources.

Spring Lake management

They oversee the Spring Lake Management Plan, which is designed to protect healthy ecosystems, provide research and educational opportunities, and offer access for service activities. As active partners in the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan, they help ensure minimum continuous spring flows of the Comal and San Marcos Springs.

Filmography

The Aquarian Springs Amusement Park was the actual location of the resort in the 1978 film ''

Piranha A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, fl ...

'', directed by Joe Dante.

References

* "What is Aquarena Center"
Texas State University San Marcos Aquarena Center
Retrieved Jul. 28, 2005. * * "Aquarena Springs"

Retrieved Jul. 28, 2005. * "San Marcos Springs"

Retrieved Jul. 28, 2005.

External links

*

* ttp://www.liquidtravel.org/diving-into-spring.html Diving into Spring
Aquarena Springs DocumentaryFilm and video footage of Aquarena Springs
from the

Texas Archive of the Moving Image The Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002 by film archivist and University of Texas at Austin professor Caroline Frick, PhD. TAMI's mission is to preserve, study, and exhibit Texas film h ...

{{Authority control Education in Hays County, Texas Landmarks in Texas Buildings and structures in San Marcos, Texas Defunct amusement parks in Texas Protected areas of Hays County, Texas Nature centers in Texas Tourist attractions in Hays County, Texas 1994 establishments in Texas