Dog Days of Summer
There is very little or no flow down Cypress creek at Jacob’s Well Natural Area. The impact of the drought is easy to see. The small pools adjacent to JW Spring are fed from ground water just reaching the surface through large fractures and karst features. Photo from 8/2/22
Dog Days of Summer
Tom Jones
These punishingly hot late summer days get their name from an old belief about the brightest star in the sky—not from dogs’ tendency to laze around in the heat. To the Greeks and Romans, the “Dog Days” were when the “dog stars,” Sirius and Procyon, dogging the hunter Orion’s heels, appear to rise alongside the sun in ancient Rome’s late summer morning sky. People believed the combined heat from Sirius, Procyon, and the sun is what made those days the hottest of the year, a period that could bring fever or even catastrophe. It was believed to be a time of drought, bad luck, and unrest, when dogs and men alike would be driven mad by the extreme heat.
Graphic from EarthSky
During the dog days of the Summer of 2022, I visited several watersheds in the Wimberley Valley to get a first hand look at the impact of the drought on the local creeks and rivers. Although I did not find any fever, mad dogs, or bad luck, I did find heat, dry creek beds, and very few thunderstorms.
As expected, the streamflows from the Blanco River and Cypress Creek were definitely low, but many still held some surface water. Most of the water collected in small pools above the springs with low to no stream flow.
Jacob’s Well at zero flow, 8/8/22
The well, which is spring-fed, has officially ceased flowing, according to a post from Jacob's Well Natural Area's Facebook page. The U.S. Geologic Survey measured a zero cubic foot per second (cfs) discharge during early August. This is only the fourth time in recorded history that the well has ceased flowing.
The impact of the drought on Cypress Creek is easy to see. The springs along the creek typically flow year-round, but the absence of rainfall recharge has caused the water level to drop below the limestone surface. Blue Hole spring is holding water, but the swimming hole is closed due to high bacterial levels and algal growth due to the low streamflow. The dry conditions and drought have impacted all of Hays County.
Dry Cypress Creek downstream from the RR12 bridge in downtown Wimberley, 7/22/22.
Although Cypress Creek is not flowing here, there are many springs which still contribute water to the creek. In the above photo the creek bed is damp, indicating that the water table is just below the surface.
Cypress Creek confluence with the Blanco River, 8/8/22 - Photo: Gary Jones
A short distance downstream from the earlier photo, Cypress Creek had resumed flow and is discharging into the Blanco River. The relative abundance of water here even during the drought is due to the water table’s being just a little bit higher than the Blanco River.
Blanco River downstream from the John Knox low water crossing on River Road. 8/8/22
Near the end of a very hot, dry summer, the Blanco River still looks impressive, even with its diminished flow. The rain in late August was a welcome sight. A good sign that the weather patterns are slowly starting to change as fall approaches. My hope is that fall will be a season of recharge to the creeks and rivers. And perhaps with a hint of fall color.
This photo was taken on May 14, 2022 and is a great shot of the Blanco River in mid-May of this year. The view is in Wimberley, upstream from the RR12 bridge. Although it is in late spring, it is an interesting photo of a buzzard party along the Blanco. What a great spot to hang out and cool off in the water. Note the crosshatch pattern of fractures in the large limestone ledge where the buzzards are hanging out. The orientation of this fracture pattern aligns with the topography and hills of the Wimberley Valley. Photo: Gary Jones