LOCAL

JUST IN: Barton Springs Pool to reopen Saturday after flooding

Mary Huber
mhuber@statesman.com
Aerial view of Barton Springs Pool looking north towards downtown Austin as seen on Sunday April 23, 2017. 

RALPH BARRERA/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Barton Springs Pool will reopen Saturday morning after being closed for two weeks for flooding, Austin officials said.

The city's Parks and Recreation Department said Friday that cleanup and restoration of the pool has been completed. The pool will open at 5 a.m. Saturday.

The popular South Austin watering hole has been closed since May 3, after storms dumped as much as 7 inches of rain in parts of the Austin area.

More rain that fell across Central Texas in the weeks that followed caused additional flooding, prompting the Lower Colorado River Authority to release water from a swollen Lake Austin and Lake Travis.

On Friday, the LCRA had ceased all flood control operations. All Austin waterways were expected to be reopened for recreational and commercial use by 5 p.m. Friday. Red Bud Isle Park along Lake Austin will also reopen at 5 p.m., the city said, though visitors should be aware of slick and muddy conditions throughout the park.

More rain is in the forecast on Saturday, when the National Weather Service says a cold front from the west will bring showers and thunderstorms to the Austin area, likely between noon and 6 p.m. As much as 2 inches of rain is forecast to fall in isolated areas. Some storms could become severe, with damaging winds and hail, the weather service said.