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Greenbelt, trails, water way bans. What remains closed after Friday's flooding?
AUSTIN, Texas — Due to flooding conditions Friday, several popular outdoor areas throughout Austin were closed, but they’re now starting to reopen.
According to the City of Austin, the Barton Creek Greenbelt reopened Monday morning. Officials added that the area is still slick and muddy, so park users should be careful with walking in that area.
The Parks and Recreation Department originally asked that the public not use the Greenbelt due to trail erosion and swift creek currents.
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail was completely closed Saturday morning, but it has partially reopened. Parks and Rec said visitors should avoid barricaded, closed or flooded areas.
The flooding at Barton Springs Pool began around 7:20 p.m. Friday. The pool will remain closed until cleanup is complete.
Beginning Sunday at 6 a.m., Deep Eddy Pool will provide morning hours until Barton Springs Pool reopens.
Adam Butler swims at Barton Springs Pool three to four times a week. He brought his son to see the storms’ aftermath.
“Normally this time of day, it’s very serene. You can see a little bit of a ripple by the diving board where the spring is coming up but this looks like a Colorado River in a full melt. This is an insane rapid,” he said.
Butler said watching the rushing waters made him realize what a big cleanup job this will be.
“Seeing this today makes me realize that we need to lean in and help out because this is going to be a big mess,” he said.
His 11-year-old son, Davis, enjoyed watching the waters.
“I’ve never seen the water this high before. It’s mind boggling how high it is. Usually that would be 20 feet down and the water wouldn’t even get that high and it’s all the way up there. Yeah, it’s insane,” said Davis.
The Austin Fire Department told KVUE’s Leslie Adami Saturday morning it will be working on closing Lady Bird Lake as well. The fast-moving, rising water and debris in the lake make it unsafe for the public.
Austin Fire said Lady Bird Lake, as well as Lake Austin from the Mansfield Dam to the Tom Miller Dam and the Colorado River downstream of the Longhorn Dam, will be closed until noon on Monday, May 6, when they will be re-evaluated.
On Monday afternoon, flood condition closures remained for Red Bud Trail upstream to Tom Miller. That area still remains under the water ban area.
The Parks and Recreation Department will be monitoring these flood conditions and will update the public as conditions change and facilities are back in order.
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