Surface water quality is routinely evaluated using the fecal indicator, enterococci. Recent results in south Texas suggest soil, rather than fecal material, may be a source of these bacteria, being transported to water through runoff following rainfall.  A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the ability of enterococci to survive and re-grow in a common South Texas soil under a range of temperatures and moisture. Top soil samples of the Orelia series (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic) were placed in small columns. Environmental and ATCC strains of Enterococcus mundtii, a species commonly isolated from both these soils and water, was used for the study. Experiments were set up using soil at several temperatures (40^o, 25^o, 10^oC) and moisture (dry or equivalent to 2.5 cm rainfall). Enterococci were enumerated using standard membrane filtration on selective media for Enterococcus spp. (mEI), following extraction from soil.  In non-autoclaved soil, at all three temperatures, there was initial growth only by the environmental strain; however, while numbers at 10^oC gradually decreased, at 40^oC there was little survival of either strain after three days. Growth in moist soil followed a similar pattern; however, the ATCC, as well as the environmental, strain, was able to grow rapidly at 10^oC before gradually decreasing over a three week period. Our studies suggest both moisture and temperature can significantly affect survival, growth and persistence of enterococci in a common south Texas agricultural soil and that the soil could potentially act as a reservoir for these bacteria in the environment.