Post by L Roebuck on Jan 3, 2006 22:25:12 GMT -5
Watershed group to protect source of Cypress Creek flow
From Staff Reports
It is a place of mysterious beauty and, on occasion, tragedy. But for the first time in more than 100 years, the spring known as Jacob's Well and the surrounding properties is now unified under the ownership of the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association (WVWA).
The organization announced Monday that it has purchased the spring and surrounding 50 acres, which will be known as the Jacob's Well Natural Area.
“If water is the very life blood of our community then Jacob's Well is the heart of this entire region,” Dr. Patrick Cox, president of the WVWA, said of the spring, believed to be the longest underwater cave in Texas. It is also the primary source of water to Cypress Creek which flows through the cities of Woodcreek and Wimberley and the Blue Hole swimming area to the Blanco River.
The land acquisition is the result of a multi-year effort by the WVWA to protect and consolidate dozens of parcels of land that was previously privately owned. The purchase was enabled by a $2 million loan from a private conservation-minded lender.
Within the next two years, WVWA's goal is to repay the loan and raise additional funds for the management and restoration of the Jacob's Well Natural Area. The total appraised value of the land is in excess of $3 million.
Cox said the organization will begin working immediately to restore and protect the site, renowned as an ideal place to study and research the health of the Edwards Aquifer that feeds it.
The WVWA has already established a water quality monitoring station at the spring. Managed by the U.S. Geological Service, the station supplies real time water quality data that can be viewed online at tx.usgs.gov/aquifer/projects/jacobswell.htm
In 2001, the WVWA sought assistance from the San Marcos Area Recovery Team (SMART) in mapping the underwater caverns, including the infamous fourth chamber, where more than one diver has met his death. The SMART team, which includes underwater archaeologists, recovered the remains in 2000 of a Pasadena man who drowned there 21 years prior.
“Jacob's Well Natural Area will be utilized for research and environmental education and to serve as a model for how to protect environmentally sensitive areas in the Edwards Aquifer region,” Cox said. “The WVWA appreciates the help of the members of our organization, our local partners and the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance members who have helped us accomplish this acquisition.”
To make a financial contribution, call the WVWA at (512) 847-1582 or e-maiil to Jawell@aol.com. Contributions, which are tax deductible, may also be mailed to WVWA, P.O. Box. 2534, Wimberley, TX.
Sanmarcosrecord.com
www.sanmarcosrecord.com/articles/2006/01/03/news/news1.txt
From Staff Reports
It is a place of mysterious beauty and, on occasion, tragedy. But for the first time in more than 100 years, the spring known as Jacob's Well and the surrounding properties is now unified under the ownership of the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association (WVWA).
The organization announced Monday that it has purchased the spring and surrounding 50 acres, which will be known as the Jacob's Well Natural Area.
“If water is the very life blood of our community then Jacob's Well is the heart of this entire region,” Dr. Patrick Cox, president of the WVWA, said of the spring, believed to be the longest underwater cave in Texas. It is also the primary source of water to Cypress Creek which flows through the cities of Woodcreek and Wimberley and the Blue Hole swimming area to the Blanco River.
The land acquisition is the result of a multi-year effort by the WVWA to protect and consolidate dozens of parcels of land that was previously privately owned. The purchase was enabled by a $2 million loan from a private conservation-minded lender.
Within the next two years, WVWA's goal is to repay the loan and raise additional funds for the management and restoration of the Jacob's Well Natural Area. The total appraised value of the land is in excess of $3 million.
Cox said the organization will begin working immediately to restore and protect the site, renowned as an ideal place to study and research the health of the Edwards Aquifer that feeds it.
The WVWA has already established a water quality monitoring station at the spring. Managed by the U.S. Geological Service, the station supplies real time water quality data that can be viewed online at tx.usgs.gov/aquifer/projects/jacobswell.htm
In 2001, the WVWA sought assistance from the San Marcos Area Recovery Team (SMART) in mapping the underwater caverns, including the infamous fourth chamber, where more than one diver has met his death. The SMART team, which includes underwater archaeologists, recovered the remains in 2000 of a Pasadena man who drowned there 21 years prior.
“Jacob's Well Natural Area will be utilized for research and environmental education and to serve as a model for how to protect environmentally sensitive areas in the Edwards Aquifer region,” Cox said. “The WVWA appreciates the help of the members of our organization, our local partners and the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance members who have helped us accomplish this acquisition.”
To make a financial contribution, call the WVWA at (512) 847-1582 or e-maiil to Jawell@aol.com. Contributions, which are tax deductible, may also be mailed to WVWA, P.O. Box. 2534, Wimberley, TX.
Sanmarcosrecord.com
www.sanmarcosrecord.com/articles/2006/01/03/news/news1.txt