Jacob’s Well closed to swimming indefinitely

Jacob’s Well, Wimberley’s popular swimming hole, will remain closed for swimming “until further notice.”

The swimming hole, part of the larger Jacob’s Well Natural Area, traditionally opens to the public on May 1, with online swim reservations opening in advance. However, due to unsafe water conditions, Hays County parks officials say the feature will be closed for the foreseeable future.

“The drought in this area has caused the flow from the spring to not be suitable for swimming at this time,” Hays County stated on its website. “Once we have sustainable flow and we deem it is safe for swim access, then we will update this website and open reservations. Swim reservations will remain closed until then. We do not know when we will allow swimming as this is contingent on precipitation and groundwater flow.”

Jacob’s Well had closed early last year due to drought conditions. The swimming hole, which is normally open until Sept. 30, officially closed on Aug. 25, 2022 over a month earlier than scheduled. Swimming had been suspended at the popular swim spot since June 29, 2022 with the county citing a critically low flow rate from the well. This had created a situation where water had become stagnant, allowing it to become murky and bacteria to grow.

Zero flow was recorded at Jacob’s Well at the end of July 2022 for the fourth time in recorded history.

While the well itself remains closed to swimmers, the remainder of the natural area will still be open daily for hiking and viewing the spring. Tours of Jacob’s Well are available online: hayscountytx.com/departments/ hays-county- parks-recreation/ jacobs-well-natural-area.