Jacob's Well (Texas) facts for kids
Jacob's Well is a very special natural spring in the Texas Hill Country. It's a type of spring called a karstic spring, which means its water comes from underground through cracks in rocks. This amazing spot flows from the bottom of Cypress Creek, near a town called Wimberley, Texas.
Exploring Jacob's Well
Jacob's Well is part of the Jacob's Well Natural Area (JWNA), which is looked after by the Hays County Parks Department. You can find the entrance at 1699 Mt. Sharp Road, Wimberley, TX 78676. The opening of the spring is about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, and it's a very popular place for swimming!
How Deep is the Well?
From the creek bed, Jacob's Well goes straight down for about 30 feet (9.1 m). Then, it continues deeper at an angle through several underground rooms. These rooms are separated by narrow spots, and the well finally reaches an average depth of 120 feet (37 m)!
Long ago, this natural spring, fed by the Trinity Aquifer, used to gush water high into the air. In 1924, people measured the water flow, and it was about 170 US gallons per second (640 L/s), shooting 6 feet (1.8 m) out of the cave's mouth!
Protecting the Water
Sadly, because more and more buildings have been built in the area, the amount of water in the Trinity Aquifer has gone down. This has affected how much water flows from Jacob's Well. Today, you might only see a small ripple on the surface of Cypress Creek.
The spring actually stopped flowing completely for the first time ever in 2000, and again in 2008. Because of this, people are now working hard to save water and keep it clean in the area. In 2010, Hays County bought 50 acres (20 ha) of land around Jacob's Well to help protect it from more building. They also added another thirty-one acres, making the protected area even bigger.
Diving into the Depths
Special cave divers have explored and mapped out the underwater passages of Jacob's Well. They found that the cave has two main tunnels. One tunnel goes about 4,500 feet (1,400 m) from the surface and reaches a maximum depth of 137 feet (42 m). The other tunnel is about 1,000 feet (300 m) long and branches off from the main one.
Jacob's Well also attracts open-water divers. However, exploring caves underwater is very different from regular diving and requires special training and equipment. Because of the challenges, it's very important for divers to be experienced and careful when exploring the cave.
