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 b ...
. The springs are located in the city of
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos ( ) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area and on the Interstate ...
, about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city i ...
and 46 miles (74 km) northeast of
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
.
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
The San Marcos River rises from the San Marcos Springs, the location of Aquarena Springs, in San Marcos, Texas. The springs are home to several threatened or endangered species, including the Texas blind salamander, fountain darter, and Texas ...
, 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
The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Me ...
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 com ...
built a dam just downstream from the springs; the resulting lake, known as Spring Lake, inundated the springs.
History
Archaeologists
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes ...
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 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
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cheroke ...
. From 1928 until 1996, a resort and amusement park known as
Aquarena Springs was located at the site.
Texas State University-San Marcos 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
The Balcones Fault or Balcones Fault Zone is an area of largely normal faulting Edwards Aquifer in the U.S. state of Texas that runs roughly from the southwest part of the state near Del Rio to the north-central region near Dallas along In ...
, which runs through San Marcos Springs.
San Marcos Springs is home to eight threatened or
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
: the
Fountain darter, the
Texas Blind Salamander, the
San Marcos Salamander, 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 government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States government. The scientists of the USGS study th ...
Story of Aquarena Springs Resort (San Marcos Springs)
{{Texas
Bodies of water of Hays County, Texas
San Marcos, Texas
Springs of Texas