In Remembrance of Garland Perry
"Land and Water" by Garland Perry, 1982
“In 1835 the Texas Hill Country was said to have been one of the most beautiful natural areas on earth. It had tall grass, beautiful trees, and fresh, clear running water throughout the area. What the early settlers were unaware of was that immediately beneath that rich, lush, organic topsoil-saturated with moisture – was nothing but hard limestone rock.
“The first settlers to reach the Hill Country always camped near a spring of good water, or near a stream, where they built their temporary homes. Then they started clearing land, fencing and planting crops. As they plowed more land and began to overgraze grasslands with domestic animals, the rains soon washed the topsoil away, leaving limestone rock that only cedar trees could grow on.
“Without the organic matter to hold moisture in the soil, springs soon went dry and it was necessary for the settlers to move near larger streams of water or to dig shallow wells. Between 1860 and 1880, good well water could be reached at 30 to 35 feet. By 1900, windmills were a very popular and necessary means of extracting water from 100 to 125 feet. By 1950, most of the water wells were 200 to250 feet in depth and were operated by electric pumps. However, during the great drought of 1950-1957, many of these 200 foot wells went dry.
“Now, a great many of the private water wells are getting water at 500 to 550 feet below the surface. Obviously, this trend can’t go on forever. Water will be a limiting factor in the future growth and development of Kendall County.”
- Excerpt from Historic Images of Boerne, Texas 1982, First National Bank of Boerne
2 comments:
Today, some wells in Kendall County are over 1,000 feet deep! Drilling deeper for water gives us a false sense of security however. The depth of the wells is one thing, and the viability and sustainability of the wells is another. During drought periods many wells in Kendall County drop dramatically and very quickly, some as far as 100 feet. This forces residents served by central water systems (like Kendall County Utility Company), to go on painful drought restrictions. Due to the terrible drought restrictions imposed in 2006, many residents lost thousands of dollars in landscaping vegetation.
As predicted by Garland Perry, today groundwater availability and sustainability is a serious problem in Kendall County. And, it is only exacerbated by unimpeded growth.
Today, some wells in Kendall County are over 1,000 feet deep! Drilling deeper for water gives us a false sense of security however. The depth of the wells is one thing, and the viability and sustainability of the wells is another. During drought periods many wells in Kendall County drop dramatically and very quickly, some as far as 100 feet. This forces residents served by central water systems (like Kendall County Utility Company), to go on painful drought restrictions. Due to the terrible drought restrictions imposed in 2006, many residents lost thousands of dollars in landscaping vegetation.
As predicted by Garland Perry, today groundwater availability and sustainability is a serious problem in Kendall County. And, it is only exacerbated by unimpeded growth.
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