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All the United States Texas Austin Barton Springs
AO Edited

Barton Springs

Home to an endangered salamander, a full moon celebration, and a large spring-fed outdoor swimming pool.

Austin, Texas

Added By
Ian Shaw
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Barton Springs Pool   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Barton Springs Pool   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Barton Springs Pool   Spawnzilla/CC BY-SA 4.0
Barton Springs Main Spring   USGS/Public Domain
Barton Springs salamander   Ryan Hagerty/USFWS/Public Domain
Barton Springs salamander   Ryan Hagerty/USFWS/Public Domain
Barton Springs salamander   Ryan Hagerty/USFWS/Public Domain
Signage about the Barton Springs salamander   TimothyJ/CC BY 2.0
Plaques at Barton Springs   Matthew Rutledge/CC BY 2.0
Salamander habitat in the pool   Lars Plougmann/CC BY-SA 2.0
Eliza Spring   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Old Mill Spring, the habitat for the Barton Springs salamander   Fredlyfish4/CC BY-SA 4.0
  vurtgurl / Atlas Obscura User
Spring fed  
  Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Barton Springs Pool   Spawnzilla/CC BY-SA 4.0
  lisalandry126 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Nowhere is cherished by Austinites more than this masterpiece of mother nature, with its unique traditions, features, and history. Barton Springs, a set of natural water springs in Austin's Zilker Park, is an important space for humans and animals alike.

The springs have a long, rich history. The water from Barton Springs comes from the Edwards Aquifer, which is about 100 million years old and made up of limestone from the Cretaceous period. The history of human activity dates back at least 10,000 years. There is evidence that the Tonkawa Native American people who are indigenous to the region considered the springs to be a sacred site, and would gather there for purification rituals.

Barton Springs is made up of four springs: Parthenia (also known as Main Barton Spring), Eliza Spring, Old Mill Spring, and Upper Barton Spring. Parthenia is the largest, discharging an average of 31 million gallons of water per day. It feeds the Barton Springs Pool, a recreational outdoor swimming pool that was built in the 1920s.

In the daytime, Barton Springs is filled with noisy summer camp children and sunbathers, but an entire new world opens up at night. Once a month, locals gather for the Full Moon Party, where swimmers celebrate by howling in unison together under the moonlight.

Austinites care very deeply for these springs, and many have turned to environmental conservation advocacy to help keep the springs alive and healthy. The spring system is part of one of the most consequential aquifers in America, serving as the primary drinking water source for over two million people. Additionally, it provides habitat for several endangered and threatened species, two of which, the Barton Springs salamander and the Austin blind salamander, can only be found within the confines of this pool. 

The Barton Springs salamander was first described in 1993, and was added to the United States List of Threatened and Endangered Species in 1997. For decades, the Barton Springs Pool had been cleaned with bleach, but the discovery of the at-risk amphibian forced the city to find a new way to clean the pool.

Related Tags

Endangered Animals Pools Spring Animals Water

Know Before You Go

Barton Springs is accessible year-round every day of the week except Thursday. The pool is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a small admission fee and lifeguards present from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Both entrances are wheelchair friendly.

Community Contributors

Added By

ianwoodshaw

Edited By

Sydney Rose, Michelle Cassidy, vurtgurl, lisalandry126

  • Sydney Rose
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • vurtgurl
  • lisalandry126

Published

June 12, 2020

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barton_Springs
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barton_Springs_salamander
  • https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/bartonspringssalamander/
  • https://www.mic.com/articles/184953/the-sacred-history-of-barton-springs-pool-the-spiritual-spot-where-austin-locals-learn-to-swim
  • https://austintexas.gov/faq/barton-springs-pool-parthenia-spring
  • https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/amphibians/Barton_Springs_salamander/
Barton Springs
2201 William Barton Dr
Austin, Texas, 78746
United States
30.264093, -97.771277
Visit Website
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