AUSTIN — When it's this hot, swimming is on the top of a lot of lists, but don't try it in Lady Bird Lake.
A ban has been in place for 50 years after the tragic deaths of two sisters.
Ollie Rendon told KVUE he was just eight years old when he witnessed his eight and eleven year old sisters drown in Lady Bird Lake.
Decades later, he said it's still a day that's hard for him to talk about.
"It's hard to express the feeling because it's heartbreaking," said Rendon while looking at the spot where he last saw his sisters alive.
"I lose my voice just even thinking about it," Rendon explained.
It's been more than 20 years since the last time he's visited the lake.
"I remember that my dad just gathered all of us and said let's all hold hands and go into the water," Rendon said.
What started off as a fun Mother’s Day trip quickly turned into tragedy.
Newspaper clippings and pictures are now the only memories left of his two sisters. 8-year-old Cynthia and 11-year-old Inez did not make it out.
"It breaks my heart because I actually saw her go down," Rendon explained.
Although swimming is prohibited, lake goers are still allowed to paddle boat and float the the lake.
Liz Johnston, Environmental Program Coordinator for the City of Austin said the tragedy prompted the city council to sign an ordinance in 1964 to not allow people to swim at Lady Bird Lake.
Johnson said a lot of debris under the lake making it dangerous for swimmers.
"There are also really deep areas due to gravel mining, therefore it's been not deemed for people to swim," Johnson explained.
50 years later, the tragic Mother’s day memory lives on in writing, hoping to prevent another loss like the one of Inez and Cynthia from happening again.
"I live with this for years and decades, trying to get it off my mind watching Cynthia go underwater, then seeing my sister Inez running in to save her," Rendon said.