Comanche Springs pupfish. Photo by Garold W. Sneegrass

Workers carry new pump into Phanton Cave Spring. Photo by Nathan Allan 06/05/2008.

 The Austin Ecological Services Office provided assistance to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and The Nature Conservancy, to replace a failing pump at Phantom Lake Spring in west Texas.  The small spring site is owned by BOR.  Spring flows into the aquatic habitat have been largely maintained by a pumping system since 2001.  Through funding by the BOR and section 6 grants, the original pumping system has been replaced by a more reliable pump, which was installed in June 2008.  The spring is home to two fishes listed as federally endangered and three invertebrates (two snails and an amphipod) that are candidates for listing.  Long term prognosis for the habitat is tenuous and the Service is working with partners to artificially maintain the habitat through pumping while concurrently investigating groundwater issues that are the source of the water.  The Service currently has one species in captive propagation and is working to secure captive populations of the other species as well.