Spring Lake

None of the wonderful river activities in San Marcos, Texas would be possible without the cold, clear water flowing out of the Edwards Aquifer. We had grown a great appreciation for the beautiful, clean river water in San Marcos over our short stay in the cool little central Texas city. Before leaving town, we wanted to pay a visit to the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, an aquatic research and conservation center managed by Texas State University.

early morning at the Meadows Center

Not too long ago, this was Aquarina Springs, a sort of amusement park dedicated to the beautiful aquifer, featuring women dressed as mermaids who would perform underwater in huge tanks. After the company went out of business, all of its assets were bought up by TSU, who converted the former Aquarina Springs into an environmental research center. 

Spring Lake

The parks old glass-bottom boats were lovingly restored by the university, who continued on the tradition of offering tours of Spring Lake, where Edwards Aquifer bubbles out of the silty lakebed, feeding the San Marcos River. We arrived bright and early, booking the first boat ride of the day.

  

The tour, led by a current TSU student who piloted the boat and taught us and the two other passengers aboard all about the local ecosystem, was super fun and incredibly informative. The water in Spring Lake is extraordinarily clear, and even in the deepest parts of the lake, you can see straight down to the bottom.

looking down at the aquifer

My favorite parts of the tour were the moments when we passed above one of the aquifers. Though you can't tell in the photos (it's hard to take a picture through glass and 20 feet of water!), we could see the sand bubbling away far below the boat where the high-pressured water was forced out of the aquifer and into the lake.

the clear water of Spring Lake

The weather that morning was surprisingly cool, and after the boat ride we decided to take a walk on the nature trail running in a small loop through the wetlands.

the nature trail

The trail took us over a small segment of the lake on a raised path. This area is a very delicate and vital part of the protected ecosystem, and along the trail, several signs informed us all about the plants, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles who call this incredibly bio-diverse part of San Marcos home.

walking over the wetlands

Even though we were basically still in the city, it was quiet. We saw where a beaver had built his dam among the reeds growing on the banks of the lake, and even spied a few deer darting off into the small woods as we approached.

the protected wetlands is an important part of the region's ecology

Before getting in the car and heading off to San Antonio, we stopped in at the Meadows Center itself. Managed by TSU, this is one of the state's foremost aquatic ecological research centers. It also has a small aquarium dedicated to the various species who live in Spring Lake and the San Marcos River. Among the species on display were the incredible San Marcos salamanders!

the extremely rare San Marcos salamander

These lungless blind salamanders are both tiny and adorable. The tiny pink creatures live only in the waters of the Edwards Aquifer. Due to their extremely limited range, they are very, very rare. One of the important goals of the Meadows Center is the protection of this wonderful little salamander.

these tiny, blind salamanders are found only in the waters of San Marcos, Texas