Texas man drowns in Balmorhea State Park’s spring-fed swimming pool, reports say

The pool reopened to visitors in June 2021

A man from El Paso who was found unresponsive in Balmorhea State Park’s spring-fed swimming pool has been pronounced dead, according to reports.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department told CBS7 in Midland that Daniel Angelest, 57, of El Paso, was pulled from the pool on Sunday.

Park officials were first notified at 1:30 p.m. Sunday that the swimmer was unresponsive in the pool. Park visitors and staff performed CPR on the man until paramedics arrived.

He was taken to Reeves County Hospital in Pecos, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival, according to NewsWest9.

Balmorhea State Park is located in West Texas on Interstate 10 between Van Horn and Fort Stockton, and southwest of Pecos. The pool is about five hours west of San Antonio.

According to TPWD, the pool spans 1.3 acres and holds 3.5 million gallons of water from the San Solomon Springs. The pool is up to 25 feet deep and is dubbed the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool by TPWD.

There is no lifeguard on duty, and swimmers younger than 15 years old are required to be supervised by an adult, TPWD says.

It was closed to visitors from fall 2019 to last month due to construction and repairs. It was initially expected to reopen in the spring of 2020, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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About the Author:

Rebecca Salinas is an award-winning digital journalist who joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.