Posted: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:46 AM - 8,620 Readers
By: L.A. Lorek
Tourists continue to float down the Guadalupe River, but it's a slow ride.
A river tube trip from Shanty Tubes in Canyon Lake that took two to three hours last year now takes five hours, said Audrey Uballe, its manager. They are not putting rafts into the river this year because the levels are too low, she said.
The low flow reflects the sparse rainfall, scorching triple-digit temperatures and extreme drought conditions throughout the Texas Hill Country. Texas is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history and it's taking a toll on boating, fishing, swimming and other tourist activities.
At the 86-acre Enchanted Springs Ranch in Boerne, revenue is down 50 percent and costs are up 20 percent from a year ago, said Steve Schmidt, its owner.
“There's more than one drought we're experiencing,” Schmidt said. “We've got the drought from the economy along with the lack of rain.”
On top of that, Enchanted Springs is paying $90 per bale of hay to feed its 120 exotic animals for a total cost of $5,000 a month, compared with $2,000 a year ago, Schmidt said. He also has to drive up to 100 miles to buy hay and stockpile it for the winter because the drought has depleted the area's hay supplies. Luckily, the ranch has two spring-fed creeks that provide water for the animals, he said. One 20-foot-deep pond is down three feet, but it's holding steady, he said.
While costs continue to soar, Schmidt sees some relief in the future. A movie, “The Legends of Hell's Gate,” will film there this fall, he said. In addition, O, The Oprah Magazine, named the site one of the top tourist attractions in the country for families in its April issue and that's been bringing more visitors, he said.
“It pays to have diversification,” Schmidt said.
Tourism is down 20 percent throughout Boerne because of the drought, said Larry Woods, president and CEO of the Boerne Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“It's a world class drought we're in,” he said. “It's affecting everyone.”
Johnny Fins restaurant that once floated along the shores of Lake Travis is now out in the middle of lake, which is down almost 32 feet from last July.
The restaurant shut its doors July 12 because of the drought and says on its Web site it will reopen when it rains.
The area's tourism overall is down 30 percent, said Laura Mitchell, president of the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce. All of the lake's boat docks are closed except one, she said. But “you can still get on the water,” she said. “And there's a ton of stuff to do out here.”
The San Antonio Water System is in Stage 2 water restrictions and if it goes to Stage 3 or Stage 4 restrictions, which the city has never faced before, it will not impact local industry or business operations, said Anne Hayden, spokeswoman with SAWS. Many of the area's tourism attractions that depend on water already use recycled water, she said.
At SeaWorld San Antonio, going to Stage 3 water restrictions would not be as big of a deal as Stage 2 was, said spokeswoman Fran Stephenson. During Stage 1, the park reduced its water usage by 20 percent, and that increased to 30 percent during Stage 2. For the next stage the water theme park will have to eliminate another 5 percent, she said. That means the park will water its grounds over two days every other week instead of weekly, she said.
Water restrictions are linked to the level of the Edwards Aquifer at a monitored well. The aquifer stood at 643.4 feet above sea level on Tuesday, according to the San Antonio Water System. More stringent Stage 3 restrictions will not kick in until the aquifer level reaches 640 feet.
At SeaWorld San Antonio, a lot of landscape watering is already being done manually using condensate from air conditioning tanks, she said. The park also has switched from beds of plants to putting more of them in pots to use less water, she said. Drought restrictions will not affect the park's attractions, she said.
“Everything at the park will be functional, all of the rides and shows will continue,” Stephenson said. “All of those attractions are on recirculating water systems. We reuse all the water. We don't drain the pools.”
The Westin La Cantera Resort has seen its grounds turn brown, but its business is better than last year, said Tony Cherone, general manager. The resort explains in a letter placed in each guest's room about the water restrictions and encourages them to conserve water, he said.
“We've stopped automatically serving water in the restaurants and banquet rooms,” he said.
At Tapatio Springs Resort & Conference Center, business is good and it's up from last year, said Jack Parker, a partner in the resort. It has sold out almost every weekend this summer, he said. But less water is being used, Parker said. The resort's three irrigation wells used to pump 300 gallons a minute, but it's down to 10 to 14 gallons, Parker said. The resort also is not watering the fairways, just the holes and greens on its 27-hole golf course.
“We're very careful when we use the water to conserve,” Parker said.
