Latest / Austin Signal / Summer rains replenished Jacob’s Well — for a few weeks

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Summer rains replenished Jacob’s Well — for a few weeks · Austin Signal

0:08
UT Austin is implementing some new
0:10
rules for getting around campus
0:11
ahead of the new school year, but
0:13
the changes aren't impacting every
0:15
set of wheels.
0:16
We've got the latest on that plan.
0:18
Plus, there's an update on the
0:19
ongoing negotiations affecting cat
0:21
metro bus drivers and transit
0:23
workers. We've go that.
0:24
And the Austin School District is
0:26
facing the looming threat of a state
0:27
takeover because of unsatisfactory
0:29
accountability ratings at a few
0:31
campuses.
0:32
How might that play out, and when
0:34
will we know?
0:35
More about those stories coming up
0:37
on today's show.
0:38
The Austin Signal is a production
0:40
of KUT News, hosted by
0:42
Jerry Quijano.
0:43
And the influx of rain across
0:44
Central Texas this summer brought
0:46
life back to one of the most
0:47
beautiful swimming holes in our neck
0:48
of the woods, but how long
0:50
is that lease on that new life?
0:52
We've got the latest coming up next.
0:54
It's right here on Austin
0:56
Signal.
1:06
Howdy out there, this is Austin
1:08
Signal. I'm your host Jerry Quijano,
1:11
glad you're here.
1:12
It is Tuesday, August 11th.
1:15
CapMetro bus drivers and transit
1:16
workers have reached a quote, strong
1:18
tentative agreement, end quote, with
1:20
City of Austin subcontractor Keolis,
1:22
avoiding a potential strike.
1:24
The workers, represented by
1:26
amalgamated transit union Local
1:27
1091, were requesting better
1:29
pay, better training, more vacation,
1:32
and better work-life balance.
1:34
Union members still need to vote
1:36
on that new contract and are set
1:37
to do so in the upcoming weeks.
1:41
The University of Texas at Austin is
1:43
implementing new transportation
1:44
rules for the coming school year.
1:46
Riders of electric bikes, scooters,
1:48
and boards will soon have to
1:50
dismount and walk in certain areas
1:52
of campus.
1:53
KUT's Gabriel Velazquez-Nera
1:55
has more.
1:56
On the first day of classes, UT
1:58
students will no longer be allowed
1:59
to ride battery-powered vehicles
2:00
down Speedway through campus.
2:03
Starting August 24th, the university
2:04
is designating that area as a
2:06
pedestrian-friendly zone that
2:07
includes everything between San
2:09
Jacinto Boulevard and Guadalupe
2:10
Street and from 21st Street
2:12
to 24th Street.
2:14
Riders, however, will not be fined
2:16
for operating their personal
2:17
electric vehicles in these
2:18
dismounted zones, according to UT's
2:20
website. Inside, the university is
2:22
hoping that the students listen to
2:23
the messaging.
2:25
Non-electric types of transport and
2:26
ADA mobility devices are still
2:28
allowed in these areas.
2:30
But the new rules come after the
2:31
university posted regulations online
2:33
earlier this month, along with
2:35
signage. The regulations did not
2:36
differentiate between normal bikes
2:38
and scooters and electric ones in
2:40
the designated dismount areas.
2:42
It drew criticism and the university
2:44
took down the page.
2:45
The signage currently posted around
2:46
the area also does not specify
2:48
that the notice is for electric
2:50
vehicles only.
2:51
I'm Gabriel Velasquez-Neda in
2:53
Austin.
3:00
The Austin Independent School
3:01
District will receive this week its
3:03
State Accountability Ratings and
3:05
the results of those will determine
3:07
whether the district could face a
3:09
takeover by the Texas Education
3:11
Agency.
3:12
But what does that actually mean and
3:13
how did we end up in this moment?
3:15
Here to tell us more is Greta
3:16
Diaz-Gonzalez-Vazquez.
3:18
She is KUT's education reporter
3:20
who has been following this story
3:21
for a while now.
3:22
Hello Greta, welcome back to the
3:23
show.
3:23
Hi, Jerry.
3:24
So, a state takeover is something
3:26
I've been hearing about for a while,
3:28
and this looming threat of one.
3:29
What actually is a state takeaway?
3:31
What does that mean?
3:32
Yeah, so the Texas Education Agency
3:34
calls it an intervention.
3:36
And it is when the commissioner,
3:38
the education commissioner who is
3:39
appointed by the governor, when he
3:41
appoints a board of managers that
3:43
replaces the elected school board,
3:45
and he also appoints and new
3:47
superintendent.
3:48
Now that board of manager has
3:50
pretty much powers on academics and
3:52
instruction on staff, they can just
3:54
make decisions for the whole
3:56
district. And because they are not
3:58
elected, they don't have to answer
3:59
to community feedback.
4:00
Yeah, that was the thing that was
4:02
struck out to me, right?
4:03
These are elected officials and
4:05
these are people being put in those
4:06
positions.
4:07
Okay, so how did we end up to where
4:09
Austin ISD is on the doorstep of
4:11
having a state takeover?
4:13
I mean, what are we waiting for that
4:14
could actually trigger that to
4:15
happen?
4:16
Yeah, for that, we need to talk
4:17
about what can trigger a takeover.
4:20
And so there's multiple things that
4:21
can trigger takeover, one is
4:23
academic accountability
4:25
ratings.
4:26
So if a school gets five consecutive
4:28
unacceptable ratings,
4:30
which are Fs on a row,
4:32
like five years in a row then the
4:34
state can come in and take over the
4:36
district. But it can also happen
4:37
because of financial mismanagement,
4:39
leadership and governance issues and
4:41
if the district is subject to an
4:43
investigation.
4:44
But in this case, it's because of
4:45
academic accountability ratings,
4:48
because Burnett, Dobie and Webb
4:50
middle schools, they all have four
4:52
consecutive Fs.
4:54
And so now Friday, they're going to
4:55
publish the results for this
4:57
year's accountability ratings.
4:59
And if either of those three schools
5:00
get a fifth F,
5:02
then the state could take over.
5:04
You mentioned the variety of ways
5:06
that a district could be taken over
5:07
by the Texas Education Agency and
5:09
there are multiple districts in the
5:11
state that are already under state
5:12
control.
5:13
Where are they and how is that
5:15
played out for those districts?
5:17
Eight districts are under state
5:19
control so far.
5:20
I do have to say some districts
5:22
have avoided it by closing the
5:24
campus that got a fifth consecutive
5:26
failing grade and then also just
5:28
having somebody who supervises
5:30
the whole district,
5:32
but that has been rare.
5:34
The biggest district that has been
5:36
taken over and the one that we know
5:37
more about is Houston ISD.
5:39
It was taken over in 2023 and
5:42
academics who study the district's
5:44
takeover have told me that the
5:45
district.
5:46
Took a, this is a quote,
5:48
militaristic approach to education,
5:50
because what they have heard from
5:52
teachers is they came in with a
5:54
new approach, which is the new
5:55
education system or NES,
5:57
and they have told me that teachers
5:59
have pre-made slides
6:01
to teach, that they have work
6:03
packets, that have very
6:05
tight schedules where sometimes
6:06
students can't even ask questions,
6:09
and that the approach is very,
6:11
very test intensive.
6:12
If they're continuously testing
6:14
students.
6:15
So far,
6:17
an advocate, a Houston advocate told
6:18
me that around 21,000 employees
6:20
have left the district since
6:22
2023.
6:24
Around 5,000 of those because they
6:26
were laid off, but the rest because
6:27
they didn't want to work at the
6:28
district anymore because it's very,
6:30
very tense.
6:31
You were talking about some of the
6:32
ways these districts have been
6:33
impacted. What might be the
6:35
arguments for a state takeover?
6:37
Yeah, so that's a good question
6:39
because the state, especially the
6:41
commissioner, Mike Morath, has said
6:43
that schools should not be having
6:45
unacceptable ratings at all because
6:47
that means that students are not
6:49
meeting academic standards and that
6:51
should not happen because then in
6:52
that case, districts are really
6:54
failing in what they're supposed to
6:56
do, which is educate students.
6:58
So they say that coming in
7:00
and helping the districts raise
7:02
the bar and make sure that all
7:04
students are meeting the bar, that's
7:05
what they are coming in to do.
7:06
Mm-hmm.
7:07
Okay, so you tell us a little bit
7:09
about what a
7:11
state takeover actually is.
7:13
How might this play out?
7:15
What would it look like for Austin
7:17
ISD specifically going forward if
7:18
the state take over does in fact
7:20
happen?
7:21
Yeah, so first we would have to wait
7:23
till Friday, see those ratings,
7:25
and then from Friday we would also
7:26
have to for the commissioner to make
7:28
an announcement that could come
7:29
October, and then normally
7:31
it takes a few months for him to
7:33
appoint somebody, so that would be
7:34
March. And people I have spoken
7:36
to have told me Houston ISD
7:39
is the blueprint.
7:40
They also say that they see very
7:41
similar things happening in Fort
7:43
Worth ISD.
7:44
And so a lot of people are telling
7:46
me it's probably going to look a lot
7:48
like Houston ISD.
7:50
What about the parents that you've
7:51
heard from? What have they had to
7:52
say?
7:52
Parents are worried, and I will say
7:54
it's parents across the district,
7:55
because they do understand that even
7:57
if it's one campus that gets the
7:59
fifth failing grade, it would affect
8:01
the whole district.
8:02
So they are very worried.
8:04
On Saturday, there was a rally at
8:06
the Brentwood neighborhood, and
8:07
they just wanted to raise awareness.
8:10
They're saying that, you know,
8:12
this is a matter of also funding
8:13
schools so that people need
8:15
to ask our
8:17
state leaders to fund schools
8:19
properly so they can have better
8:21
academics.
8:22
Um, and I, I also found
8:24
that a section of the Texas
8:25
education code says that if the
8:27
majority of parents from the school
8:28
that triggered the takeover
8:31
that got the fifth unacceptable
8:33
rating asks the commissioner
8:35
in written form to
8:37
close the campus instead of
8:39
taking over the district, then the
8:40
commissioner shall do that.
8:42
I have spoken to people that they're
8:43
saying that they are organizing to
8:45
make sure this happens.
8:46
But I've also spoken to community
8:48
leaders who have told me that some
8:49
parents are saying, you know what,
8:50
my kid actually is not getting a
8:52
great education and maybe this
8:53
wouldn't be the worst thing in the
8:54
world. So there's
8:56
things on both sides, but I would
8:58
say overall, the majority of
9:00
what I hear is parents being worried
9:02
about the takeover and what it will
9:03
mean for their kids'
9:05
education.
9:06
Understandably, okay.
9:07
Well, that's something that we are
9:08
certainly going to continue to watch
9:10
and we'll bring you the latest from
9:11
Greta Diaz González Vasquez right
9:13
here on Austin Signal.
9:14
Thank you, Greta
9:15
Thank you, Jerry.
9:21
Very few Texans were shocked in
9:23
2024 when Donald Trump won
9:25
the state.
9:26
What did surprise many was that the
9:28
Republicans also flipped nine
9:29
traditionally blue
9:31
counties in the Rio Grande Valley,
9:34
including some majority Latino
9:35
counties that had voted Democratic
9:37
for decades.
9:39
But a recent bipartisan poll of
9:40
Hispanic voters found that around
9:42
20% of those who voted for Trump
9:44
two years ago, say they wouldn't do
9:46
so again.
9:47
The group behind that poll is Unidos
9:49
US, a national nonpartisan Latino
9:52
civil rights and advocacy group,
9:54
and last week they brought their
9:55
annual convention to Texas.
9:57
The Texas newsroom's Blaise Ganey
9:59
was there and asked Latino voters
10:01
how they're feeling with just a few
10:02
months ahead of the midterm
10:04
elections.
10:05
1,000 people attended the 2026
10:08
UNITO's U.S.
10:09
Conference at the Fairmont in
10:10
Austin.
10:11
We are going to ask you to use your
10:12
phone for a couple activities.
10:13
Your camera ready to scan some
10:16
QR codes.
10:17
In this breakout session called
10:18
building an economy that delivers,
10:20
about 75 people listened at Santiago
10:22
Suero polled the audience.
10:24
What issue do you think Latino
10:25
voters rank as their highest
10:27
priority?
10:28
Attendees quickly joined in,
10:30
submitting their answers.
10:31
Seeing a lot of people saying cost
10:32
of living.
10:33
Immigration is the second highest
10:35
one.
10:35
Which popped up on the screen
10:37
creating a word cloud.
10:38
Jobs is pretty high up there,
10:40
the cost of living is far and away
10:42
the top one that y'all are
10:43
answering.
10:43
These answers are pretty similar to
10:45
what Latino voters in Texas were
10:47
focused on two years ago before
10:49
the 2024 election, high
10:51
housing costs, expensive groceries,
10:53
and uncertainties surrounding
10:55
immigration policy.
10:56
That year, exit polls showed a
10:58
majority of Texas Latinos voted
11:00
for President Donald Trump.
11:02
But Ford.us immigration expert
11:04
Andrea Flores says many Latino
11:06
voters who supported him now have
11:08
mixed feelings.
11:09
They're happy that the border is
11:11
quiet and that some of the chaos
11:13
of the Biden administration is over.
11:14
But when it comes to mass
11:16
deportation, what ICE is doing, what
11:17
Border Patrol is doing they oppose
11:19
that.
11:19
And like in that audience poll,
11:21
Flores says, Latinos overall aren't
11:23
feeling much better about the
11:25
current state of the economy.
11:26
Like Austinite Olivia Dominguez,
11:28
she's in her 60s and says she came
11:30
to the conference since she's had a
11:32
lot of free time since losing her
11:33
job.
11:34
I stopped working in January,
11:37
not voluntarily.
11:39
I asked her which party is doing the
11:40
best right now to court Latina
11:42
voters.
11:43
Who's doing the best?
11:45
There was no easy answer.
11:47
But I know the
11:50
disappointment in
11:52
what's going on with
11:55
immigration and our dollar.
11:58
I would say maybe
12:00
the Democrat might have an edge.
12:02
Texas Democrats seem to feel the
12:04
same way, likely a reason why two
12:06
of their most high-profile
12:07
candidates this November spoke
12:09
at the event's luncheon,
12:11
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate
12:12
James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa,
12:14
who's running for governor.
12:16
Hinojoza told the crowd this year
12:18
Latino voters in Texas have
12:20
more power than ever.
12:21
To give you a sense of our
12:23
importance in this election, in
12:25
2018, the
12:27
closest a Democrat came to
12:29
flipping Texas in recent history,
12:32
Beto O'Rourke ran against
12:34
Ted Cruz, and he
12:35
got 64%
12:38
of the Latino vote.
12:40
Since then, Hispanics have become
12:41
the state's majority, now making
12:43
up more than 40% of Texas'
12:46
population.
12:46
When I get 64%
12:49
of the Latino vote in 2026,
12:52
I win.
12:53
But getting to that number won't be
12:54
easy. Democrats in Texas
12:56
and nationally have their
12:58
own problems to address with Latino
13:00
voters.
13:01
Sofia Zuniga traveled from Miami
13:03
to attend Unidos US.
13:05
The Floridian says she sees many
13:06
similarities with Texas around
13:08
issues like immigration and
13:09
affordability.
13:10
This year.
13:11
I want to say I'm hopeful, but I'm
13:13
also fearful.
13:14
In November, she's pulling for
13:16
Democrats.
13:17
I do wish that Democrats would
13:19
put more of a priority with Latino
13:21
voters and I think they're doing
13:22
that now and they're realizing that
13:23
they lost a lot of Hispanic voters.
13:26
But there have been recent signs the
13:28
party may be earning some votes
13:29
back.
13:30
Here's Andrea Flores, the lawyer
13:32
and immigration expert.
13:33
In the first round of off-cycle
13:35
elections, so you saw in New Jersey,
13:37
in a Florida mayor's race,
13:39
in Pennsylvania you saw a
13:41
swing back of Latino voters
13:43
back towards Democrats in those
13:45
early races.
13:46
Now it's a question of
13:48
will we see that again?
13:49
What that trend means for Texas in
13:51
November is still up in the air.
13:54
Of votes.
13:55
That's what Gina Inajosa told the
13:56
crowd in Austin, but she says the
13:58
winds are swinging Democrats way.
14:00
One data point, a special state
14:02
senate election earlier this year
14:04
where a Democrat flipped the
14:06
Republican districts and got 79%
14:08
of the Latino vote.
14:10
So while the issues on voters' minds
14:12
may have stayed the same, the party
14:14
they trust to address them might be
14:15
changing.
14:16
I'm Blaise Ganey in Austin.
14:19
We've got more Austin signal coming
14:20
your way after this
14:22
break.
14:28
You're listening to Austin Signal.
14:30
My name is Matthew McKibbin and I am
14:31
the assistant business manager at
14:33
KUT.
14:39
We've got a month left for the field
14:40
guide to Austin Summer Reading Bingo
14:42
Challenge. It's not too late to join
14:44
and cross out a few boxes on your
14:45
bingo card.
14:47
Here are two book recommendations
14:48
for you.
14:53
Daniel Krause's Angel Down tells the
14:55
story of five World War I soldiers
14:57
tasked with rescuing what they
14:58
believed to be an injured comrade.
15:00
It turns out the injured person is
15:01
an angel. Yes, an actual angel,
15:04
shot down somewhere over no man's
15:05
land.
15:06
The story's sense of urgency also
15:08
comes from the fact that this entire
15:10
book is told as one long run-on
15:11
sentence.
15:13
Normally, that'd be a gimmick that
15:14
would turn me away, however the one
15:15
sentence structure adds a sense of
15:17
desperation and tension to their
15:18
struggle for survival and But
15:20
there's even a purpose for it.
15:22
This book stuck with me for days
15:23
after reading it and I can't wait to
15:25
read it again.
15:31
The next book on my list is the
15:33
audio book of Homer's The Odyssey.
15:35
This was a reread for me in
15:36
preparation for Christopher Nolan's
15:38
film adaptation.
15:39
I read this epic poem in college, as
15:41
we all did, but this was the first
15:42
time I read it as it was likely
15:44
intended to be read, by listening,
15:46
as narrated by the brilliant Sir Ian
15:48
McKellen.
15:49
Hearing such an acclaimed actor read
15:51
this story brought it to life and
15:52
I'd argue it's probably the best way
15:54
to inhabit the world of the lost
15:55
Odysseus, the towering Cyclops
15:57
and those pesky suitors clamoring
15:58
for Penelope's love and riches.
16:07
To get your own bingo card and find
16:09
out more about the KUT Field Guide
16:11
to Austin Summer Reading Bingo
16:12
Challenge, go to KUT.org or
16:15
click the link in today's podcast
16:16
show notes.
16:22
I'm Matt McKibben and this is Austin
16:24
Signal.
16:33
Well, one truly Texas way
16:35
to escape the summer heat is to
16:37
visit one of our cool spring-fed
16:39
watering holes.
16:40
Clustered right here around central
16:42
Texas, we've got Barton Springs in
16:44
Austin, Landa Park in New Bromfels,
16:46
and Hancock Springs in Lampasses.
16:49
Jacobs Well in Wimberley might win
16:51
the award though for the most
16:53
stunning watering hole, but it's
16:55
been closed to swimming the past
16:56
four summers.
16:57
And even with the rain that caused
16:59
devastating flooding this summer,
17:00
the flow is not
17:02
back up to normal.
17:03
Texas Standard's Laura Rice has
17:06
this deep dive.
17:08
Jacob's Well is an earthly
17:10
wonder, so beautiful that it looks
17:12
almost otherworldly.
17:15
Crystal clear water with bright
17:17
green algae and what appears to
17:19
be a bottomless hole in
17:21
the limestone.
17:22
When it's clear like this, you can
17:23
look down and you can see
17:25
about 25 feet down.
17:27
And from that bottom 20 feet down,
17:29
five feet down it'll continue
17:31
to kind of angle to
17:33
a depth of about 150 feet.
17:36
And then that cavern
17:37
runs.
17:39
It's been mapped almost a mile
17:41
to the northwest.
17:42
Carl Flocky is the director of
17:44
Hayes County Parks and Natural
17:46
Resources.
17:47
He knows Jacobs well intimately,
17:49
and is still in awe of
17:51
it.
17:51
It is really fascinating
17:53
to think about how water can
17:55
actually push out of the ground, not
17:56
just lazily
17:59
flow out, seep out, but
18:01
it is being forced out
18:03
of this aquifer, which is
18:05
a really, really fascinating
18:07
feature that we have here.
18:10
When the flow slows down,
18:12
or stops altogether, the
18:13
water recedes into the
18:15
hole.
18:16
But no one ever thought that would
18:18
happen.
18:18
In the year 2000 was the first
18:20
time ever that it stopped flowing.
18:23
It did that again in
18:25
the droughts of the late 2000s.
18:27
And then of course, in the big 2011
18:30
time period drought.
18:32
Flows returned when rain did,
18:34
and so did swimming, until
18:36
2022.
18:37
That's when we dropped down to zero
18:39
flow and for
18:41
four years now we've been
18:43
essentially at zero flow so we went
18:45
from periods of
18:48
long periods of flow with isolated
18:50
times of no flow to
18:52
now it's the reverse where it is
18:53
long periods without any water at
18:55
all and small periods of
18:57
some water.
18:59
After July's heavy rain,
19:01
the flow picked up again.
19:02
It was coming out very briefly at
19:04
about 22 cubic feet per
19:06
second.
19:07
A cubic foot is approximately as
19:09
much water as you could contain
19:10
within a basketball.
19:11
That's well above what's considered
19:13
normal flow, which is about 4-6
19:16
cubic feet per second.
19:18
Even though it's now back down to
19:20
below normal, the influx
19:22
was enough to bring the wells level
19:24
not just to the top of the hole,
19:26
but up out of it, filling up
19:28
the pool area and going down the
19:30
rocky Cypress Creek bed.
19:31
It is really encouraging to see the
19:33
water be flowing out of the well,
19:35
out of the ground here downstream.
19:37
It creates a conduit where
19:39
fish can swim up and down the
19:41
stream. They've been trapped in
19:42
puddles for summers upon summers
19:44
now.
19:44
It looks ready for human swimming
19:46
too, but Flocky says
19:48
not so fast.
19:50
His office is out here and he and
19:52
his staff spend a decent amount
19:54
of time each day explaining
19:56
to visitors why they can't
19:58
swim.
19:59
It's just not enough water we feel.
20:02
We are concerned about when
20:04
people get in the water the
20:06
all the oils and things that they
20:07
are bringing into that system when
20:09
that flow is low it's not being
20:11
flushed out it's not being carried
20:13
downstream is concentrating into the
20:14
system that is a direct conduit
20:17
into our aquifer and we
20:19
know it holds many
20:21
rare species maybe even endangered
20:22
species like salamanders beetles
20:24
things like that.
20:26
Janet Durmeyer and her friends were
20:28
disappointed to see all the no
20:29
swimming signs.
20:31
I grew up in San Antonio, heard
20:32
about it all my life and this is the
20:34
first time I've actually made it.
20:35
My friends are here from Houston and
20:37
we wanted to make a day trip and do
20:39
some swimming because it's hot.
20:41
And so it's really disappointing to
20:43
see it like this, quite frankly.
20:45
Durmeyer now lives in comfort
20:47
and saw the other side of the
20:48
July rains that replenished Jacob's
20:51
well, the flooding.
20:52
It's been horrible.
20:54
It's so devastating.
20:55
Two years in a row.
20:57
She takes a pragmatic view of
20:59
the area's relationship with
21:00
rainfall.
21:01
If you live in this area, you
21:02
understand the terrain.
21:04
And so the terrain is very, very
21:05
rocky.
21:06
And so, yes, we're given to
21:08
flash floods. But as fast as it
21:10
floods, it also recedes.
21:12
And so it doesn't always have a
21:14
whole lot of time to soak
21:16
in and really recharge
21:18
those aquifers and those springs
21:20
and things.
21:21
So you know, that's.
21:23
That's kind of the frustration
21:24
everybody thinks, yay, we got all
21:26
this rain, we've got all this water,
21:28
and then a month later, wind drought
21:30
again.
21:31
But Parks Director-
21:31
Dr. Carl Flocky says the challenges
21:33
for Jacobs Well only begin
21:35
with the weather.
21:37
In order to get back to
21:39
a sustained historical
21:41
flow, we're going to need
21:43
a period of prolonged rainfall,
21:46
average, above average rainfall for
21:48
a long period of time, which is
21:50
possible, especially looking at
21:51
the outlook for this winter of a
21:53
strong El Nino cycle.
21:55
It is possible we'll get the
21:56
rainfall we need to get us
21:58
there. But if we don't see
22:00
changes in water use,
22:02
we're never gonna be able to sustain
22:03
that level of flow again.
22:05
It's going to keep drawing down.
22:07
Hayes County has been one of the
22:08
fastest growing in the country over
22:10
the past decade or so.
22:12
There are fundamental things at
22:15
the regional level that we need to
22:16
look more at, such as
22:18
where we're sourcing water supplies,
22:21
can we get more folks utilizing
22:23
rainwater collection, rainwater as
22:25
a water supply, things like that.
22:27
To get us to a sustained flow
22:29
rate, there will need to be some big
22:30
shifts like that
22:32
Some folks have wondered if it's
22:33
even worth it, if it'd be better for
22:35
Jacob's well and the creatures who
22:37
call it home to just say no
22:39
more swimming ever.
22:41
But that's not how Flocky sees
22:43
it.
22:44
I grew up as a kid swimming in
22:45
Jacob's Well, and I would
22:47
love to have that opportunity
22:50
for the people around here,
22:52
the people of Texas, the world,
22:53
again, for my children to have the
22:55
opportunity.
22:56
His kids are young enough that
22:58
swimming has never been open here
23:00
in their lifetimes.
23:02
But Flocky is helpful.
23:04
Simply providing the
23:06
really phenomenal experience
23:09
of getting to swim in those cold
23:11
crystal clear waters
23:12
But that's not happening anytime
23:15
soon.
23:15
So for now, if you come out to
23:17
Jacob's well, you'll just have to be
23:19
content to admire.
23:22
In Wimberley, I'm Laura Rice.
23:27
Before we leave you today,
23:30
I would get some sports news.
23:31
The San Antonio Spurs will open
23:33
their upcoming season at home with
23:34
the Western Conference Final Rematch
23:36
against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
23:38
But this year, the Spurs are gonna
23:39
be visiting Austin early in their
23:41
schedule, very early.
23:42
In fact, just three days after
23:44
starting the season in San Antonio,
23:45
the spurs will face the Houston
23:47
Rockets and former Longhorn Kevin
23:49
Durant at the Moody Center.
23:50
That game is scheduled for October
23:53
23rd.
23:55
Well that is it for us today here on
23:56
Austin Signal.
23:57
We have plenty more about the many
23:59
stories we shared with you today in
24:01
the podcast show notes and you
24:03
can always find more from us at
24:05
kut.org slash
24:07
signal.
24:08
Renee Chavez is our technical
24:09
director, Alexandra Hart is our
24:11
producer, Kristen Cabrera is
24:13
our managing producer and I'm
24:15
your host, Jerry Kikano.
24:16
Thank you for spending the day with
24:17
us. We're gonna be back at the same
24:19
time tomorrow.
24:20
We'll talk to you then.