AUSTIN, Texas — If you were thinking of visiting Barton Springs Pool this Labor Day weekend, you might be out of luck. In fact, you might not be able to swim there for a while.
On Thursday, the city of Austin announced the pool would be closed for maintenance until further notice. On Friday, it provided another update, saying that there is a leak in the pool's infrastructure.
The city said the initial inspection appears to indicate that an old water bypass pipe, estimated to be from the 1940s, developed two holes that are causing water to be pulled into the now abandoned pipe below the pool's dam. The Watershed Protection Department has also conducted dye testing to ensure there aren't any additional leaks.
This isn't the first time the pipes at the popular pool have had problems. The city said a similar issue happened at a different location in 2018. Repairs to fix the current leak will follow a similar approach, but the repair timeline may vary depending on the conditions crews find.
Parks and Recreation Department contractors will conduct the repairs in partnership with Watershed Protection and Austin Water. Similar to pool cleaning days, the city said Barton Springs will be closed to reduce water levels so crews can access the repair sites. A portion of the area below the dam, known as "Barking Springs," will also be cordoned off to allow repair teams to access the dam.
The city said this leak is not related to the Joan Means Khabele Bathhouse Rehabilitation Project, which will remain closed through spring 2025.
Barton Springs also isn't the only Austin pool that's currently closed. Martin Pool will not open until summer 2025; the Pease Park Splash Pad is shut down indefinitely after a water main leak; and Montopolis Pool is set to reopen in spring 2026 after flooding concerns.
Updates on Barton Springs' closure status, and the closures statuses of other pools, will be added to austintexas.gov/parkclosures.