Brad Wolaver, a hydrologist from the University
of Texas’ Bureau of Economic Geology is working on an industry-backed project focusing on the water
sources that replenish the San Solomon Springs near Balmorhea. His team is
drilling wells and installing sensors to monitor underground aquifers, the
surface water that feeds them, and some freshwater springs, including the San
Solomon. He hopes this data will help
residents and oil companies better understand the movement of the region’s
water and help develop “approaches to minimize potential adverse impacts of the
springs so we have them flowing for generations to come.” The next step in the project is to continue
reaching out to landowners to expand the amount of data the team can
collect.
This study is funded by the Apache Corporation, which is the largest oil and
gas producer around Balmorhea.
