SAN ANTONIO — Comal Springs at Landa Park is normally filled with water. But that’s not the case right now.
Paul Bertetti, senior director of aquifer science research and modeling for the Edwards Aquifer Authority , says the May showers most of San Antonio experienced was not enough to take Comal Springs out of a Stage 3 drought status.
“It’s always concerning when spring flows are low,” Bertetti said. “But for that particular part of the spring, it’s not particularly unusual.”
Even with the heavy downpours across San Antonio and other areas of Texas, Comal Springs remains in Stage 3 drought.
“Much of the rainfall this year has kind of fallen along I-35 to the south and east of I-35,” he said. “Or significant amounts up north, in the Austin area and further north.”
Where Bertetti says rainfall would be most effective for the Edwards Aquifer, which runs from Uvalde through Medina and San Antonio up towards San Marcus, is along the start of the Hill Country in northern Medina County.
“If spring flows go low, that can also trigger additional stages,” Bertetti said. “And so the transition between Stage 3 and Stage 4 occurs at 100 cubic feet per second.”
That’s on a 10-day average. Bertetti says the areas impacted by Edwards Aquifer have been in a significant drought since 2022.
“The intense heat early in the summer certainly doesn’t help the situation, people are using more water,” he said. “And there’s very little rain in locations that need it for the aquifer.
There are some areas in Comal Springs that have some water, but the areas with the highest elevations will be dry as water levels continue to decline.