Barton Springs

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doylehargraves

500+ Posts
It's been polluted and the water no longer possesses the clarity it once did, but the Springs is still one of my favorite places in the world. Pretty cool underwater video taken from 1995. Never knew there were eels in the water.
The Link
 
The stream basins that provide flow to Barton Springs cover an area of about 360 square miles southwest of Austin. Only a small percent of the area currently represents urban land use, thus additional water-quality degradation probably will occur as the area is further developed. Although some degradation has occurred, the water quality of Barton Springs is still well within swimming criteria. However, it is likely that uncontrolled urbanization in the watersheds feeding the springs will eventually cause Barton Springs to be degraded to the extent that it must be closed to swimming.
The Link
 
The water has gotten pretty nasty in recent years, and there are now large clumps of ****-looking algae in the water pretty much year-round. The low flows from the recent drought are a large reason, as well as extra nutrients from fertilizers in the watershed / contributing zone.

It is still awesome and I still swim there almost every day at lunch, but the quality has gone down. there are a TON of crawdads on the water plants some days.
 
You can argue the definition of "polluted" all you want, but there's no way in hell the water clarity is as good as it was 10 years ago. I swim the Springs regularly, but don't ask me. Talk to Jim Leflore, Dix Colborn or any of the 100 +/- Barton Springs regulars who really know the water, and make it a part of their lives, 5 or 6 times a week. They're not tied into SOS or environmental groups per se', but they're drawn to the water because of a common love for it. And they'll tell you to a person that the water quality has gone downhill pretty significantly. Asserting that it has not is ridiculous.
 
How much of the quality has gone downhill because they can't clean the pool like they used to?

I seem to remember hearing a lot of the problem this past year was that the drought, combined with regulations about draining the pool because of the salamander, made it hard to clean algae that usually could be cleaned up in the past.


That's not to say that runoff from development along SW Pkwy isn't much of the problem, too.
 
If those guys have been swimming there that long, I have guarded them before.

i'm not saying runoff upstream isn't a problem. It is. But mishatex is correct with his comments about regulations regarding draining, algae, cleaning, etc. Guards clean the pool. They have much less freedom in the manner in which they clean it than when I guarded there. And it's due to new environmental regulations.

And for the record, call the City of Austin Aquatics Dept. The pool is clean and clear. If, in your opinion, it is not as clear as it was 10-15 years ago, I suggest you do more research before labeling the reason "pollution".
 
That's a good point about them not being able to clean it as well as before. they used to drain it pretty low and let it refill from the springs. Now they have to maintain a certain water level due to the salamanders, and it's a lot harder to remove the algae.

I hope to god the springs remains swimmable as long as there are people to enjoy it, and longer.
 
Do the women still sunbath topless?
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I don't need to call the City of Austin to judge the quality of the water. Again, you can just talk to the people who know that water like the back of their hands,. People who have been swimming consistently in the Springs since the 50's and 60's. They're the ones who will tell you unequivocally that the quality of the water has gone downhill. Whether it be because of cleaning issues, pollution, fertilzer, run-off or whatever, the water is nowhere near as nice as it used to be. It absolutely sucks, but it is the case.
 
the main reason is DROUGHT. Texas has been in a drought for at least 10 years now. the pool needs a certain flow rate in order to be drained and cleaned. with no new water reaching the aquifers, the flow rate decreases. i know last summer they were unable to drain and clean the pool for months and the springs conservation dirstirct declared edwards aquifer at Critical Stage Drought. this has been the case for years.
 
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