Southland
Oaks Park, Hays County Ranch, Spillar Ranch
Land Use
Residential
Business
Civic
Parks
Roadways
Undeveloped
10%
0%
0%
0%
1%
89%
Watershed Facts
A portion of the Bear Creek watershed
is located in the environmentally sensitive Edwards Aquifer
Recharge Zone (Barton Springs Segment) where water travels through
caves and sinkholes to “recharge” the aquifer.
The City of Austin has purchased several
tracts of land in the Bear Creek watershed to help protect recharge
features and preserve water quality.
Dye trace studies have been conducted
on Bear Creek watershed to help identify groundwater flow paths;
a dye trace from a sinkhole on Spillar Ranch at Mopac and Texas
45 reached Barton Springs in 3-4 weeks.
Significant caves in the Bear watershed
include Flint Ridge Cave which has a surface drainage area of
100 ac.
Springs on the former Spillar Ranch
and on the City-owned Hays County Ranch provide year-round watering
holes for wildlife along the Recharge Zone.
