There is no new water.
The Witte Museum is the ideal place to tell the story of Water in South Texas. Many stories converge here, as do waters from artesian springs, a well from the Edwards Aquifer, and recycled city water. Situated at the headwaters of the San Antonio River, the Witte resides at a place chosen historically for encampments by native Americans and as a source of life-giving water by early European settlers.
More than 100,000 peopled visited World of Water in 2005 at the Witte Museum. This was an overwhelming success for an experiment in producing an educational exhibit that would be fun for visitors. World of Water was the result of two years of planning, involving a partnership of the many water agencies in our region, including San Antonio Water System, Edwards Underground Aquifer Authority, San Antonio River Authority, Blanco-Guadalupe River Authority and others.
Out of the model World of Water, the Witte Museum constructed River Alive! And other permanent water exhibits on the Witte campus. It also developed award-winning curricula, and has won additional awards for public education on water conservation and water quality. As the focal point for its water initiative, the Witte Museum plans to build a permanent Center for Rivers and Aquifers.
The story of Water in South Texas has been told at the Witte in many ways. One way is with the skeleton of a juvenile bison, believed to be ancient, which was found near the source of the San Antonio River. Was the bison searching for water during a time of drought or was it drowned in a flash flood? Water in South Texas is hard to understand, principally because of what environmental historian Char Miller calls the “daily paradox, drought one day, surfeit the next.” Popular images of Texas range from the dramatic cracked earth of empty riverbeds to helicopter aerials of water cascading through towns and cities, creating deep caverns and new riverbeds.
This shift in climate and terrain fits the rugged notion of South Texas. The underground rivers that feed or wither the landscape are aquifers. The Edward’s Aquifer, perhaps the most famous and elusive, is among the fastest flowing and largest aquifers in the world. The aquifer is an enigma to most. With the exception of ranchers, farmers, environmentalists and hydrologists, few understand the complex limestone structure, water flow and geometry of the aquifer. Yet understanding the living history, from aquatic life to ranching wells and farming irrigation, and current engineering of the aquifer, is essential to understanding the history and future of San Antonio and South Texas.
Controversy often accompanies discourse about the capacity of the Edwards Aquifer. But the Witte has built a safe haven for free discussion and learning about the source of life for our region. It has become the civic forum for various meetings and conferences on water, including the annual Water Law Conference and Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Water Summits. |
