Lake Austin and Town Lake

[K-Man]

How long has it been since swimming has been legal in Town lake? I know they have triathlons and stuff in Town lake (Ladybird Lake) once in a while, but for the most part it's off limits.

Wouldn't it be nice if all the east side kids could cruise down to town lake and swim? I know the fish eating ban has been lifted, is it still too polluted to swim? Lake Austin has motor boats and all the pollution that goes along with it.

What would it take to make swimming in town lake a reasonable thing?

 

[zzzz]

The purple box is Town Lake:



"PAH represent a group member of organic compounds formed during incomplete combustion of organic matter, including wood and fossil fuels such as gasoline, coal, and fuel oil. Benzo(a)pyrene is one of many forms of PAH."
The Link

 

[austintex]

I thought the swim ban on Town Lake had more to due with strong river currents than it did with pollution.

 

[ScoPro]

 

[crash_davis]

i do not want swimming allowed in town lake. if that were to happen, then we'd have a problem of people leaving trash, emtpy beer cans, etc all around the trails and the banks. it would be unsightly.

 

[zzzz]

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[zzzz]

Then again, this trade journal article from 2006 isn't very reassuring:

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[GHoward]

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[pulque]

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[ScoPro]

I remember when the shores of the Colorado River in downtown Austin were just scrub land.

 

[K-Man]

Good points about it getting trashed. Twin falls can get pretty nasty on a spring weekend.

Also, It does get drainage from Shoal Creek, Waller Creek, etc. and that includes lots of trash and debris, especially after a storm.

I guess it's not realistic for an urban watershed to have water quality good enough to swim in, though it doesn't seem bad during CapTex triathlon.

Fiesta gardens might be a good spot for a somewhat regulated area to allow free swimming. Is the water usually pretty cool like lake Austin?

 

[EJC+1]

Town Lake = fuggin nasty *** water.

Couldn't pay me to go swimming in that filth and the triathletes that do must be desperate for races.

 

[blueglasshorse]

Swimming in Town Lake is legal. You just have to have a good pretense. Rent a canoe, Oops, it flipped over. I see people in the water every weekend.

 

[pulque]

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[MirrOlure]

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[Steel Shank]

I consider it more of a river than a lake. Just because "they" name it, doesn't make it so.

 

[Nuge]

I go swimming in it every time I take my dog to Red Bud park. The water is fine as long as the water is flowing from the dam.

 

[GHoward]

Yea, but Red Bud is like 100 yards downstream from the Lake Austin dam, so it hasn't had a chance to get dirty.

 

[K-Man]

That's cool about red Bud Island. What would happen if I swam across Town lake near auditorium shores, is that allowed? Are there strong currents?

By the way, Barton Springs has been absolutely horrific the past few weeks. nasty algae "floaters"

 

[pulque]

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[Steel Shank]

OK, it more resembles a river than a lake. Travis and Buchanon are lakes. Austin also resembles more of a river than a lake. But I get your point. I've lived here since '77 and it has never occured to me that Town Lake didn't have a dam at both ends.

 

[SouthAfricanHorn]

Town Lake is flushed thoroughly the night before the triathlon. And the tri's usually start around 630/700am so it's still quite fresh.