The Comal Springs feed the ComalRiver, and people usually come to see and take pictures of the springs that bubble up at the edge of Landa Park just below Panther Canyon in New Braunfels, but New Braunfels Utilities spokeswoman Gretchen Reuwer said that spring is no longer visible.
"This is one of those visual impacts of the drought," Reuwer said.
The springs have not dried up to this extent for many years, at least since the mid-80s, and before that not since the 1950s.
Ruewer said there are hundreds of springs feeding the river and Landa Park Lake, but the dry springs at the head of the river signal a need for serious cutbacks, not just by the local area, but by the whole region.
"This isn’t all about New Braunfels or San Marcos or Seguin or Cibolo or San Antonio," Reuwer said. "This is about the entire region, and obviously we’re in a drought situation that has continued and there’s no guarantee that it won’t continue into the first of the year."
The City of New Braunfels has been on Stage 3 watering restrictions for about three weeks, meaning watering with a sprinkler only, one day every two weeks, and with a hand-held hose any day except between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Reuwer said whatever rain occurs over the next few months will impact the level of drought management plans that will be implemented for the next year.
