Heavy rains make for rare sight as water floods into aquifer

Water pours into sinkhole

SAN ANTONIO – Heavy rains Thursday morning helped push aquifer levels up to heights not seen in over five years. The recharge of the Edwards Aquifer was especially evident west of San Antonio, where a large sinkhole took on massive amounts of water.  

The sinkhole, at its largest, is 40 feet wide.

"Those molecules of water will be somebody’s drinking water," Jon Cradit, a geologist with the Edwards Aquifer Authority, said

Landowners would not allow KSAT to disclose the sinkhole's location.

According to the EAA, the sinkhole was once a spring. Now, the water flow has essentially reversed and it acts as a window to the aquifer below. Water flow like this is generally only seen, on average, twice a year, but still.

“This amount of water going into the aquifer is really a small, small amount of the total water which recharges the aquifer," Cradit said.

A man-made structure, built in the 1970s, does help to divert water, from a nearby creek, into the sinkhole.   


About the Author:

Justin Horne is a meteorologist and reporter for KSAT 12 News. When severe weather rolls through, Justin will hop in the KSAT 12 Storm Chaser to safely bring you the latest weather conditions from across South Texas. On top of delivering an accurate forecast, Justin often reports on one of his favorite topics: Texas history.