Before and After

I love before and after pictures; I can spend hours looking at them and analyzing the differences. Today I had my own experience with before and after.  Due to recent rains the underground aquifer that San Antonio relies on for water has risen above the very low levels that have plagued it for many years.  I knew the aquifer was up, but didn’t realize how much until I saw a news item that the Blue Hole had water in it.  Time to grab the camera and head out!

In case you’re wondering the Blue Hole  is where the headwaters of the San Antonio River originally bubbled up from the earth. Drilling of artesian wells in the late 1800’s diminished the spring’s flow until it eventually stopped.  Now it only flows when the aquifer reaches a higher level. The San Antonio River is a human controlled body of water ensuring an even flow of water into the downtown area and, more importantly, as a means of flood control.

Here’s the before:

And the after:

The once dry river bed is now a noisy rush of water, too.

I didn’t think I would ever see water in the Blue Hole, but today I did.  Pure, clean water right out of the aquifer.