Operation of The Pool
The pool is usually open to the public from 5:00am to 10:00pm, Friday through Wednesday. During this time, the floodgates on the pool's dam are closed, and Main Barton Spring fills the pool to a maximum depth of more than 18 feet. At the upper end of the pool, another dam prevents surface water from Barton Creek from entering the pool by diverting it through a tunnel under the sidewalks.
Although admission to the pool is free from November through mid March, from mid March to October a small fee ($1 to $3) is charged for entry or continued access after 9:00am. Summer passes, valid from Memorial Day to Labor Day, are also available. Lifeguards are usually present except before 8:00am, when swimmers are cautioned to "swim at your own risk". The pool is surrounded by grassy slopes which are ideal for sunbathing. Topless sunbathing is permitted, as in the rest of Austin.
On Thursdays, the pool is closed for cleaning from 9:00am until 7:00pm. The floodgates are sometimes partially opened, lowering the water level in the pool by several feet. Employees then blast pressured water against the limestone bottom of the pool to wash away the hazardous and slippery algae buildup. Once a year the pool is closed for several weeks for more extensive cleaning. During this time the floodgates are usually fully opened. With all of the water drained from the pool, the original limestone bedrock of the creekbed reappears.
The pool is closed during rains as Barton Creek may flood and overflow the diversion dam. Swimming in Barton Springs Pool is unsafe, as it transforms into a raging creek.
Read more about this topic: Barton Springs Pool
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