Balmorhea State Park

Balmorhea State Park
A photo of the main area of the swimming pool at Balmorhea State Park
The pool area at Balmorhea State Park
A map of Texas showing the location of Balmorhea State Park
Location Reeves County, Texas, United States
Nearest city Balmorhea
Coordinates 30°56′40″N 103°47′00″W / 30.94444°N 103.78333°W / 30.94444; -103.78333[1]Coordinates: 30°56′40″N 103°47′00″W / 30.94444°N 103.78333°W / 30.94444; -103.78333[2]
Area 46 acres (19 ha)
Established 1968
Visitors 51,993[3] (in 2007)
Governing body Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/balmorhea

Balmorhea State Park is a 46-acre (19 ha) state park located on the San Solomon Springs in Reeves County, Texas, opened in 1968. The closest major town is Balmorhea, Texas. The park is open year-round.

Features

The main feature of the park is the 1.75-acre (0.71 ha), 3.5-million-US-gallon (13,000 m3) freshwater pool built around the springs.[4] The spring has a constant flow of 22 to 28 million US gallons (110,000 m3) a day so no chlorination is required. The water temperature ranges from 72 to 76 °F (22 to 24 °C) and up to 30 feet (9.1 m) deep. The pool bottom is flat in the more shallow areas and has a more natural rock bottom in the deeper areas. The pool is used for both swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. Company 1856 of the Civilian Conservation Corps built the pool between 1936 and 1941. It was constructed as part of FDR's New Deal during the Great Depression as a way to open up jobs for people needing work. The Civilian Conservation Corps also built San Solomon Springs Courts, which rents rooms available for overnight stays. Camping and recreational vehicle sites are also available.

The Balmorhea State Park Cienega Project recreated a desert wetland in the park. The cienega now serves as a habitat for endangered fish such as the Comanche Springs pupfish and Pecos gambusia as well as other aquatic life, birds and other animals.

In 2018, Garrison Brothers Distillery started a nonprofit to raise money for to renovate Balmorhea State Park.[5] As of the summer of 2018 the pool and parts of the park are under renovation. The pool is closed to visitors while the area around the diving board is repaired. [6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Balmorhea State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Balmorhea State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Texas State Parks: Natural Economic Assets". Window on State Government. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  4. ↑ Balmorhea lake
  5. ↑ "Want to see Balmorhea State Park restored? So does this Texas distillery, with your help". Austin360. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  6. ↑ https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20180802b


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