Barton Springs is a
spring-fed
swimming hole in the heart of
Austin,
Texas, that is filled by
water from the
Edwards Aquifer. Barton Springs is on
Barton Creek close to where it enters the south shore of
Town Lake, and is a major feature of
Austin's
Zilker Park. It is large, about as long as a football field but not quite as wide, and full of
fresh, flowing, non-chlorinated water. Ahhh.
The Springs is a great place to hang out in the summertime. There's a nice green lawn on both sides of the
pool, with huge shady trees. It's not uncommon to hear people drumming, playing guitar or other instruments, or
see people practicing their juggling.
It's the only public swimming pool in Austin where topless sunbathing is legal for both genders (at least,
I think this is still the case), but it's not all that commonly practiced by female visitors.
The temperature of the water in the Springs
is a constant 68 degrees, Fahrenheit, year-round. In the heat of the summer, this is chilly enough
to take the breath away from us pansy-ass Texans, but you do get used to it after about 15 seconds. The only way to deal with it is to jump in all at once. The
numbness that ensues is quite refreshing on a 100-degree day. Dedicated
swimmers swim laps there all year round; I have never done this, but when the air temperature is freezing,
68-degree water probably feels almost toasty.
Barton Springs is well-loved by Austin residents. It became a symbol for water quality in the late 1980s, with the rallying cry
"Save Our Springs." The SOS ordinance, adopted in 1992, was the first water quality protection ordinance
in the US which was passed into law as a citizen initiative. It protects Barton Springs
and the Edwards Aquifer by limiting development and impervious cover over the Barton Creek watershed.
This ordinance was challenged immediately by developers, but it got a boost when the Barton Springs Salamander,
found only around three underwater vents in Barton Springs, was listed as an endangered species in 1997.