School’s letting out for summer, and swimming pool season’s getting underway. But some of Austin’s pools aren’t ready for swimmers, at least not yet.
During last week’s floods, images circulated of Barton Springs Pool looking like a raging river. The water’s receded since then, but now, small islands of drying mud float atop murky, green water.
But there aren’t any swimmers. “Just a few ducks and some divers,” said Andrei Mellin, who was in town visiting from Cincinatti. He and his family showed up to Barton Springs, towels in hand, only to find out that the pool isn’t open.
Recent flooding means Austin’s most popular pool, along with Metz, Dottie Jordan, and the shallow end of Deep Eddy, will stay closed until further notice. Mabel Davis will also be closed because of repairs unrelated to the flood.
The Parks Department says this year a lack of lifeguards will not affect openings – but that comes after the department set a staggered schedule to deal with an ongoing lifeguard shortage. The city says it still needs more lifeguards to cover vacation days.
Ten pools will be opened yesterday, and an additional 12 will open on Monday.
