In the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert, a network of springs has sustained life for thousands of years.
San Solomon Springs, the largest of six artesian springs near Balmorhea, feeds the world-famous pool at Balmorhea State Park, supports rare desert wildlife and serves as a vital source of water in one of the driest regions of Texas. Millions of gallons of water flow through the springs each day, creating an oasis that has shaped the region’s ecology, economy and culture for generations.
Now, a growing coalition of researchers, landowners, community leaders and conservation partners is working to ensure those springs continue flowing well into the future.
The San Solomon Springs Collaborative, housed at the Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water at Sul Ross State University, was created to advance research, strengthen community engagement and build a shared understanding of the groundwater systems that sustain the springs.
The effort comes at a pivotal moment.
Across Texas, roughly 30 percent of springs have disappeared completely and the rate of springs that are going dry has increased in recent decades. Among those that remain, San Solomon Springs is considered one of the most significant desert spring systems in the state. Yet scientists have documented a long-term decline in spring flows. Phantom Spring, located at a higher elevation within the same regional system, has already stopped flowing entirely.
Researchers know that water reaching Balmorhea originates from precipitation falling in the Apache and Davis mountains and moves through complex underground pathways before emerging at the springs. But many questions remain unanswered.
Where does the water recharge? How long does it remain underground? What pathways does it follow before reaching the springs? And what can be done to ensure the system remains healthy for future generations?
Those are the questions driving the collaborative.
“We don’t know the big picture yet, which has been the biggest unanswered thing,” said Dr. Kelbi Delaune, assistant professor of natural sciences and research scientist with the Meadows Research Institute. “What we’re trying to do is establish not only a groundwater monitoring network, but a landowner and stakeholder collaborative focused on protecting spring flow.”
The initiative brings together a diverse group of partners, including local groundwater conservation districts, farmers, ranchers, community members and conservation organizations. The collaborative seeks to advance science while building trust among those who live and work in the region.
That relationship-building component is every bit as important as the research itself.
“Everybody wants to see those springs flowing,” Delaune said. “It’s a nonpartisan issue.”
The collaborative is exploring ways to expand groundwater monitoring throughout the springshed while respecting landowner privacy and ensuring data is used responsibly. By improving understanding of groundwater movement and aquifer conditions, researchers hope to provide information that can help guide future stewardship efforts.
The work aligns closely with the mission of the Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water, which was established to advance applied research, education and technical assistance related to water resources across the Trans-Pecos.
The San Solomon Springs system is also receiving increased national recognition.
Earlier this year, the site was designated a National Geoheritage Area, recognizing its exceptional geological, ecological and cultural significance. The designation highlights the springs as one of the nation’s important natural landscapes and underscores the value of protecting the resources that sustain them.
Long before she became a scientist, she first visited the region as a college student participating in field research. Nearly two decades later, she still returns to the same waters that inspired her career.
“These springs really were everything about my science identity and what it means to love nature and understand the culture and the people that use these resources,” she said.
Over the years, she has witnessed firsthand how closely connected the community is to the springs. When water levels decline or facilities close temporarily, the impacts ripple throughout the region.
“When the pool closed for repairs for almost two years in 2019, the economy here sank, the overall community morale changed,” Delaune said. “It has closed off and on for various reasons since then, and it impacts the community every time. These springs are deeply ingrained in us.”
That connection gives her hope.
She points to growing public interest in water issues, stronger partnerships among stakeholders and the conversations sparked by events such as the recent Water in the Desert conference as evidence that attitudes are changing.
“People are talking about water differently than they used to,” she said. “We’re talking about it from economics, from culture, from future generations and from being good stewards of the land.”
Ultimately, she believes the springs serve as a reminder of just how connected West Texans are to the resource that sustains them.
“These springs and these systems are really what allow us to exist,” Delaune said. “If they don’t exist, we can’t exist.”
As the San Solomon Springs Collaborative continues to grow, organizers hope the effort will deepen scientific understanding, strengthen community partnerships and build lasting support for one of Texas’ most remarkable desert landscapes.
After all, protecting the future of San Solomon Springs means protecting the future of the communities, wildlife and landscapes that depend on them.