NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — The Headwaters at the Comal in New Braunfels is in the middle of a restoration project to become an environmental space for the community.
- Headwaters at the Comal is in the middle of a restoration project
- Offering visitors the opportunity to become a honorary archaeologist
- Area has been deemed a significant archaeological resource
"The Comal Springs are the most significant spring system in the Southwest," Headwaters Assistant Manager Lauren Strack said.
During construction of the restoration project of the Comal Springs area, several cultural artifacts were discovered, indicating early habitation of the site. The Headwaters was deemed a significant archaeological resource prompting an on-site active dig.
"We knew that there were people going back here tens of thousands of years, but because of all the human disturbance over the centuries, we thought a lot of that material had been disturbed,” Strack said. We thought the undisturbed was just a very limited area, but when we got to construction, what we found is that it was a much more significant area than we had anticipated."
If you’ve ever wanted the chance to be an archaeologist for the day, now is your chance. As a fundraiser for the restoration project, Headwaters at the Comal is giving visitors the opportunity to learn about the site’s rich history and to help find artifacts by sifting through dirt found at the Headwaters.
The hope is to further explore the connection between the Springs and its history.
Decades ago, the Comal Springs were the original water source for the City of New Braunfels. New Braunfels Utilities is restoring the property to become an environmental showcase for the community, giving people the unique opportunity to participate in this on-site dig.
"There aren't a lot of sites where you can come and experience an archeology dig," Strack said. "Also, the whole point of this project is to focus on the community and people and nature. It's really beautiful to have this opportunity to talk about this relationship going back tens of thousands of years."
The findings will be housed on-site and at Texas State University. Ama Terra Environmental archeologist James Hill said the Comal Springs have a unique history to discover.
"Sites like these are very rare to have continued occupations for 10,000 years. So it gives you a very unique opportunity to study multiple different groups and how they've kind of evolved through time," Hill said.
The excavation is expected to run until January of next year. The tours will wrap up about a week before Christmas. You can also donate to the fundraiser that will support the Headwaters restoration project.