San Marcos Springs is the second largest natural cluster of
springs in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. 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
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, subdivision_name = United States
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.
Although Spring Lake is highly protected, it is accessible to visitors through the
Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, a program of
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
, which offers glass-bottom boat tours among other opportunities to explore and learn about the ecosystem.
Geology
The San Marcos Springs is an area of
artesian outflow 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 ...
along the
Balcones Escarpment. More than 200 springs flow from three large fissures and other smaller openings in the rock. The springs provide most of the water for the
San Marcos River, which flows southward from the springs' location.
The springs have never been known to stop flowing. The average flow is 152 ft³/s (4,300 liters/s); the lowest recorded flow of 46 ft³/s (1,302 L/s) occurred in 1956.
In 1849, 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 ...
built a dam just downstream from the springs; the resulting lake, known as Spring Lake, inundated the springs.
History
Archaeologists believe that the San Marcos Springs area may be the oldest continually inhabited site in North America, with sediment core evidence of human activity dating back approximately 11,500 years. Excavations at this location uncovered
Paleo Indian artifacts dating back as much as 19,000 years. The
Coahuiltecan
The Coahuiltecan were various small, autonomous bands of Native Americans who inhabited the Rio Grande valley in what is now southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. The various Coahuiltecan groups were hunter-gatherers. First encountered by Europ ...
refer to these springs as their origin; they called the springs ''Canocanayesatetlo'' ("warm water"), a reference to the springs' relatively warm 72 °F (22 °C) year-round temperature.
The first Europeans to see the springs were probably members of the Espinosa-Olivares-Aguirre expedition of 1709. Later, the
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 ...
mission San Xavier and the failed settlement of San Marcos de Neve were situated there.
White American
White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...
s began settling the area in 1835, and the springs became a major stop on the
Chisholm Trail. From 1928 until 1996, a resort and amusement park known as
Aquarena Springs
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. Fo ...
was located at the site.
Texas State University-San Marcos
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
purchased the surrounding area in 1994, and the site is now known as
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.
Flora and fauna
This region is a dividing line for certain species occurrence. For example, the iconic
California Fan Palm
''Washingtonia filifera'', the desert fan palm, California fan palm, or California palm,Flora of North America Association. ''Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 22: Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in Part), and Zi ...
, ''
Washingtonia filifera
''Washingtonia filifera'', the desert fan palm, California fan palm, or California palm,Flora of North America Association. ''Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 22: Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in Part), and Zi ...
'' is found only west of the
Balcones Fault, which runs through San Marcos Springs.
San Marcos Springs is home to eight threatened or
endangered species: the
Fountain darter, 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,
Texas Wild Rice, the
Comal Springs Dryopid Beetle, the
Comal Springs Riffle Beetle, and the
Peck's Cave Amphipod. Federal requirements to protect the species' environment, and the resulting demands those requirements place on water from the Edwards Aquifer, have led to several legal and political battles throughout the region.
Pursuant to the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Restoration Plan, researchers and volunteers operating out of the
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
Meadows Center for Water and the Environment remove non-native species of aquatic vegetation and re-plant native species such as
Texas wild rice, resulting in a 53% increase in
Texas wild rice since 2015.
References
* C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''California Fan Palm: Washingtonia filifera'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg* Roy L. Lehman, Ruth O'Brien, Tammy White. 2005. ''Plants of the Texas Coastal Bend'', Texas A&M University Press, 352 pages ,
* Gregg Eckhardt
Line notes
External links
''Take Me To The River'' webcastfrom the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
*
*
Origin and Characteristics of Discharge at San Marcos Springs Based on Hydrologic and Geochemical Data (2008-10), Bexar, Comal, and Hays Counties, TexasUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
Story of Aquarena Springs Resort (San Marcos Springs)
{{Texas
Bodies of water of Hays County, Texas
San Marcos, Texas
Springs of Texas