Tagged: Barton Springs

Barton Springs Pool is reopening Sunday after a few days of clean-up.

The pool had to be closed on Tuesday because of Barton Creek run-off from this week’s rain storm.

The pool had reopened just last weekend after being closed since December for repair and renovation work.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story erroneously said the repairs to the bypass tunnel and dam at Barton Springs Pool was part of the Master Plan process.

Barton Springs Pool is scheduled to reopen this Saturday.

The swimming hole has been closed since December, as the city made repairs to the pool's bypass tunnel and the dam on the downstream side of the pool.

Save Our Springs Ordinance Celebrates Twenty Years

20 years ago today, Austin voters approved a historic ordinance that changed the way the city handles growth.  The Save Our Springs water quality ordinance marked the first in a series of battles between environmentalists and developers.

A proposed development project by the international mining company Freeport McMoRan catalyzed a grassroots movement to protect the Edwards Aquifer and Barton Springs.

The Save Our Springs group gathered signatures and drafted an ordinance that limited construction along the Edwards Aquifer such that only 15 percent or less of the land could be paved.  The ordinance was put on the ballot and voters passed it.

Local West Nile Virus Case Confirmed

The Texas Department of State Health Services confirms there have been 32 cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in Texas so far this year. One case has been confirmed in Travis County.  The individual has been hospitalized.

The neuroinvasive form of the disease can affect a person’s brain or spinal cord, and can be fatal. The first deadly case of the disease was confirmed in Texas earlier this month, but there are reports of as many as three deaths in the state. West Nile virus, carried by mosquitoes, causes the disease.

West Nile fever, also caused by the virus, is generally considered less serious because it does not invade the nervous system. The CDC reports that roughly half the cases that states have reported so far this year are of the the more serious form of the disease.

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The Austin Parks and Recreation Department has temporarily shut off the water to Emma Long Metropolitan Park to make repairs.

The park is still open for use but all restrooms, showers, drinking fountains and water utilities for camping are all out of order. The city is providing extra portable restrooms.

The repairs are expected to be complete in early August.

Recent rains have caused flooding and debris to accumulate in Barton Springs Pool.

The city's Parks and Recreation Aquatic Division has temporarily closed the pool “due to flooding conditions,” according to a press release. No reopening date has been issued.

Staff must wait for rains to stop – not a problem we often have in Austin – before they can remove debris, clean the pool and assess its condition. 

Tonight’s your chance to help shape the direction of Barton Springs Pool.

Possible changes to areas around the beloved swimming hole will be heard at a joint committee meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board and Environmental Board this evening. And the public is invited to attend the meeting and sound off on the proposals.

The meeting is focused on the proposed Barton Springs Pool Master Plan. Aspects of the plan include options for a new south entry gate, a new ticket booth at south gate, a new perimeter fence, and more.

Barton Springs Pool Reopens Today

After being closed for a week, Barton Springs Pool will reopen today. The famously frigid swimming hole was closed on March 20 due to flooding after last week’s heavy rain.

The pool's hours of operation are from 5 a. m. to 10 p. m. Normally the pool is only open for limited hours on Thursdays due to cleaning, but this Thursday the pool will stay open all day.

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