Comal Springs ( ) are the largest concentration of naturally occurring freshwater springs in
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. They are located in the city of
New Braunfels and are the result of water percolating through the
Edwards Aquifer
The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. Located on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas, it is the source of drinking water for two million people, and is the primary water su ...
formation.
History
The springs were historically a magnet for the indigenous population of the region, often
Tonkawa
The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe from Oklahoma and Texas. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct language, extinct, is a linguistic isolate. Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the Federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Tonkawa ...
s. The first
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
explorer to visit the springs was Damián Massanet in 1691. The site was later home to a Spanish mission. Spanish settlers eventually called the site "Las Fontanas". The area has been home to a mixture of recreational and commercial endeavors, including Landa Park.
Geology and natural history
The Comal Springs are fed by the
Edwards Aquifer
The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. Located on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas, it is the source of drinking water for two million people, and is the primary water su ...
, a large
karst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...
that runs through most of central Texas. The aquifer consists of porous, water-bearing
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
features which channel rainfall and
surface runoff
Surface runoff (also known as overland flow or terrestrial runoff) is the unconfined flow of water over the ground surface, in contrast to ''channel runoff'' (or ''stream flow''). It occurs when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other ...
from the aquifer's recharge zone down to various discharge zones, including the springs.
The Comal Springs are home to a variety of unique plant and animal life. One notable example is the
fountain darter (''Etheostoma fonticola''). In addition to the association of groundwater availability with this locale along the
Balcones Fault
The Balcones Fault or Balcones Fault Zone is an area of largely normal faulting Edwards Aquifer in the U.S. state of Texas that runs roughly from the southwest part of the state near Del Rio to the north-central region near Dallas along Inte ...
, the area is also considered an ecological dividing line for occurrence of some species; for example, the
California Fan Palm
''Washingtonia filifera'' pygmy date palm, the desert fan palm, California fan palm, or California palm,Flora of North America Association. ''Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 22: Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (i ...
, ''
Washingtonia filifera
''Washingtonia filifera'' pygmy date palm, the desert fan palm, California fan palm, or California palm,Flora of North America Association. ''Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 22: Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (i ...
'' occurs only at or west of Comal Springs, i.e. Balcones Fault zone.
[C. Michael Hogan. 2009]
See also
*
Comal River
The Comal River ( ) is the shortest navigable river in the state of Texas in the United States. Proclaimed the "longest shortest river in the world" by locals, it runs entirely within the city limits of New Braunfels in southeast Comal County. ...
*
Guadelupe River
References
* Gunnar Brune. 1981. ''Springs of Texas'', Vol. 1, Fort Worth: Branch-Smith
* C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''California Fan Palm: Washingtonia filifera'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg* . 2008
Line notes
External links
Edwards Aquifer AuthorityDetailed video tour Comal SpringsDetailed video and narration of Comal Springs on YouTube.com
{{Texas
Rivers of Comal County, Texas
New Braunfels, Texas
Springs of Texas