This is heartbreaking news... I've been a big fan and acquaintance of Mike Campana for many years extending back to his days the University of New Mexico in the 1990s. He had such good, positive energy and an inspiring desire to share his knowledge with everyone via conferences, his Water Wired blog, and various social … Continue reading vaya con aquas, aquadoc →

I've gotten a couple calls about a recent Wall Street Journal article (paywalled) where I am "quoted" as saying the following about the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer: "Robert Mace, executive director at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, said the aquifer could run dry much sooner, likely within 10 to 20 … Continue reading Will the Carrizo-Wilcox go dry? No (but…) →

A graduate student (Corinne) and I are researching Las Moras Springs in Kinney County, Texas, so we daytripped there and back to gawk at the recharge zone and the springs. I had hoped that they would still be dry since I hadn't seen them in that state before and wanted to take a closer look … Continue reading a quick trip to las moras springs →

So you wanna teach regular folks (not irregular folks like hydrogeologists) about groundwater? It turns out that it's harder to find materials than you might think. There's even a paper about this published in 2022 by John Cherry. Sadly, since groundwater is out of sight, it is often out of mind. The National Groundwater Association … Continue reading groundwater education resources and activities for all ages →

Located between Rocksprings and Brackettville are Kickapoo Springs which empty into Kickapoo Creek from a small side channel where the springs issue at the surface from alluvium but surely flow from an array of limestones buried below creek sediments. These springs also serve as the headwaters of the West Nueces River, at least until their … Continue reading kickapoo springs →

I was excited to visit St Louis to (1) check out the arch and (2) visit the site of Belcher's well. Here's an excerpt from a book I will finish sometime in the next 20 to 30 years: William Belcher, in his search for better quality water for his sugar refinery in St. Louis, commissioned … Continue reading the belcher well (st louis mo) →

A few years back, the fall before The Plague, Dr. Ben Schwartz of the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center invited me to join him and Peter Sprouse to write a short blurb for a world encyclopedia on the status of spring ecology. I knew exactly where to go for a quick stat on the … Continue reading revisiting Gunnar Brune’s “Major and Historical Springs of Texas” →

So when I roll into town planning to gawk at the site of a long-gone artesian well, I don't expect to find much. In the case of the well above, as reflected in a postcard from my collection, I only hoped to find the intersection where the well used to be, take a few wistful … Continue reading the mineral well in arlington, texas →