High bacteria levels at Jacobs Well halts swimming season

Sierra Martin | Managing Editor

HAYS COUNTY — Visitors won’t be able to swim in the normally crystal clear waters of the Jacobs Well Natural Area for the “foreseeable future” due to the threat of high bacteria levels, other pollutants and poor visibility conditions that are unsafe for swimming. The 81-acre Natural Area will remain open for hiking, but no one will be able to cool off in the 68 degree waters.

According to Hays County, the timeline for when swimming will be allowed again can’t be determined because of “factors beyond our control.” The county says they will monitor the water conditions daily and update the information on their website and social media pages.

“Our Parks staff saw that the water was stagnant and there was some algae sitting on top of the water so it was out of an abundance of caution that they decided to not allow swimming,” a Hays County spokesperson said in a statement. 

Hays County said that when individuals book a reservation for Jacobs Well, they are unable to issue refunds or raincheck. Additionally, the paid reservations cannot be canceled or transferred to a different date once they are created. 

“However, given these unusual circumstances, we will be working with individuals who have reservations affected by the closure,” the county said in a statement.