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PROJECT NARRATIVE GUIDE 1. Describe the project and project elements, including land acreage - existing, and to be acquired. Describe any unique features or circumstances. One of the oldest continuously inhabited places in North America, the City of San Marcos sits at the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country along the Balcones Escarpment, which divides the rocky tree-covered hills of the Edwards Plateau from the gently rolling Blackland Prairies to the east. The centerpiece of the City is the San Marcos River, which emerges from the Edwards Aquifer in Spring Lake and meanders through the city between park-lined banks. San Marcos Springs has an average daily flow of 150 to 300 million gallons a day, making it the second largest spring cluster in Texas. The discovery of this beautiful spring fed river by Spanish explorer Alonso de Leon's men on St. Mark's Day in 1689 inspired naming the San Marcos River in honor of the patron saint. The first modern settlement of Villa San Marcos de Neve, which was established in 1808 by colonists from Mexico, was abandoned in 1812 following devastating floods and repeated Indian raids. Juan martin de Veramendi, later governor of Mexico's Texas, received a "two league" grant of land on the river, which later became the heart of the town of San Marcos. Hays County was created in 1848 and named in honor of Captain Jack C. Hays, a noted Indian fighter and Texas Ranger. That same year, San Marcos was designated Hays County seat. City founders laid out the town in 1851 and incorporated in 1877. The Edward's Aquifer is on the of the world's most prolific artesian aquifers and the sole source of drinking water fro two million people in central and south central Texas. The unique geology and hydrology of the Edwards Aquifer makes it highly vulnerable to pollution. Caves, sinkholes, faults and fractures dot thelandscape of the Recharge Zone, where water plunges underground, where it encounters limestone rock that has been eroded over time to creat large underground channels fro the water to flow. Water in the Edwards Aquifer moves at a rate of thousands of feet per day; compared to velocities of a few feet per year in other aquifers. This rapid movement and the relatively large size of the spring outlets provide none of the filtration, absorption and slow ater flow that protect many aquifers from contamination. The Edward's Aquifer and its contributing watersheds are home to flora nad fauna found nowhere else on earth. For rare species, Spring Lake and San Marcos Springs within the City of San Marcos are among the most important aquatic habitats in the United States. Five federally endangered species occur in the springs or lake, which form the headwaters for the San Marcos River. These include; the San Marcos salamander, San Marcos gambusia, fountain darter, Texas wild rice and Comal Springs Riffle Beetle. The area is also suitable habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler. Efforts to acquire and conserve land in the recharge zone of the Edward's Aquifer and in the watershed of San Marcos Springs are essential in order to protect water quality and to ensure that the aquatic and terrestrial habitats are managed so as to encourage the recovery of these endangered species. A.B. Rogers purchased the property surrounding San Marcos Springs in 1926 and eventually developed the Aquarena Springs Resort. Spring Lake, a popular swimming and recreation area, was formed in the 1950's when a private owner constructed a large