High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Aquarena Center is an educational center in San Marcos, Texas dedicated to the preservation of the unique archeological and biological resources of Spring Lake. It is managed on behalf of Texas State University–San Marcos by the Texas River Systems Institute located in the Texas Rivers Center. The site is further home to the Texas Stream Team, a volunteer program dedicated to monitoring the water quality of freshwater systems through the state. Aquarena Center was established in 1994 when Southwest Texas State University purchased land previously used as an amusement park, including Spring Lake, an artificial freshwater reservoir which contains several of the San Marcos Springs.