Balmorhea State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

located on the

San Solomon Springs San Solomon Springs is a collection of artesian springs located near the small towns of Toyahvale and Balmorhea in Reeves County, Texas. Between 20 million and 28 million US gallons (90,850 cubic meters) of water a day flow from the springs, ...

in Reeves County, Texas, opened in 1968. The closest city is

Balmorhea, Texas Balmorhea ( ) is a city in Reeves County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 479 in the U.S. Census of 2010. History Balmorhea was platted in 1906. Its founders were Ernest D. Balcom, H. R. Morrow, and John and Joe Rhea; the town's n ...

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage ...

manages the park. The park is open year-round, and visitation is capped at 900 people per day.

Features

The main feature of the park is the , freshwater pool built around the springs. It is the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool. The spring has a constant flow of 22 to a day so no

chlorination Chlorination may refer to: * Chlorination reaction In chemistry, halogenation is a chemical reaction that entails the introduction of one or more halogens into a compound. Halide-containing compounds are pervasive, making this type of transform ...

is required. The water temperature ranges from and up to deep. The pool bottom is flat in the more shallow areas and has a more natural rock bottom in the deeper areas. The pool is used for

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

snorkeling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters ...

, and

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

History

The Texas State Parks Board bought San Solomon Springs and the surrounding land in 1934. Company 1856 of the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a ...

(CCC) built the pool between 1934 and 1941 as part of the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

as a way to open up jobs for people needing work. The CCC also built San Solomon Springs Courts, which rents rooms available for overnight stays.

Camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

and

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and campe ...

sites are also available. A private concessionaire operated the facility until 1968, when the Parks and Wildlife Department took over management, and it became part of the state parks system. The Balmorhea State Park Cienega Project, started in 1995, recreated a desert

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 waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

in the park. The original cienega was lost when the CCC channeled water from the springs in to the pool. The cienega now serves as a habitat for endangered fish such as the

Comanche Springs pupfish The Comanche Springs pupfish (''Cyprinodon elegans'') is a species of pupfish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to Texas, and is now found only in spring-fed pools near Balmorhea, a small town in West Texas. Taxonomy and naming Disc ...

and

Pecos gambusia The Pecos gambusia (''Gambusia nobilis'') is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae endemic to the Pecos River in Texas and New Mexico in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United S ...

as well as other aquatic life, birds and other animals. In early 2018, a wall in the pool around the diving board collapsed, and the pool was shut down.

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

-based

Apache Corporation APA Corporation is the holding company for Apache Corporation, an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration. It is organized in Delaware and headquartered in Houston. The company is ranked 431st on the Fortune 500. Current operations ...

pledged to match all donations made to repair the pool up to one million dollars. The goal was reached in about four months. Sixty percent of the donations were under $100, however, other Texas companies made significant contributions, including Saulsbury Industries,

Texas Pacific Land Trust The Texas Pacific Land Corporation is a publicly traded real estate operating company with its administrative office in Dallas, Texas. Owning well over in 20 West Texas counties, TPL is among the largest private landowners in the state of Texa ...

, McCoy Remme Ranches, Legend Energy Services, Pioneer Energy Services and

Garrison Brothers Distillery Garrison Brothers Distillery is a distillery in Hye, Texas. The distillery produces Texas Straight Bourbon, as well as some experimental variants. In 2006, the distillery was granted the first stiller's permit for bourbon outside of Kentucky and T ...

. Apache Corporation also established a one million dollar endowment fund for the park. The pool reopened March 1, 2019 after repairs to the pool were completed. Only day-use facilities were available while the renovation of San Solomon Courts and campgrounds were still under way. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shut the park again on September 3, 2019 to repair the park's failing septic system and again in January 2021 for further repairs "for the foreseeable future." The park partially reopened in June 2021 with the swimming area reopening. File:Balmorhea cienaga 2009.jpg, alt=A photo of the restored cienga, The restored cienega at Balmorhea. File:Balmorhea camping 2009.jpg, alt=A photo of campsites at Balmorhea State Park, The camping area at Balmorhea.

References

External links

Home movie of the Cummings Family Scuba Diving at Balmorhea State Park in 1964

Balmorhea State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife
{{authority control Protected areas of Reeves County, Texas State parks of Texas Swimming venues in Texas Civilian Conservation Corps in Texas

Features

History

See also

References

External links