Zilker Park on 10-26-23; rain from The Great Lawn flows directly into Barton Creek

According to the National Weather Service, 0.29 inches of rain fell in Austin, Texas on October 26, 2023.

The Texas aquifers are starving for water. Meanwhile, precious rain water is not captured in Zilker Park. Instead, the fertilizer-rich water of this off-leash area for dogs is allowed to runoff into the City's pristine spring-fed Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake.

On 10-26-2023, I took three water samples of the runoff which originates on The Great lawn in Zilker Park and flows untreated directly into Barton Creek. I sent the three water samples from 10-26-23 to Texas A&M's Soil, Water and Forage Laboratory for chemical analysis. (They do not perform E-coli analysis).  

This is my summary report, followed by the source documents from the Texas A&M:

Additional photos of the "water runoff sheeting" effect of The Great Lawn:

10/23/23: Photo journal of ACL impacts on the non-irrigated zones of Zilker Park

My photo journal below shows the deepening state of damage to root systems throughout the acres of Zilker Park between Barton Springs Road and the pool/creek after ACL Fest has concluded in October 2023.

ACL uses this area of Zilker Park, south of Barton Springs Road, for extensive activities from attendee entry and processing, sound stages for concerts and heavy equipment. 

When the vegetation is destroyed in this zone, there is little support from the Parks Department because of the lack of irrigation.

The negative effects of pedestrian informal pathways -- unregulated by the Austin Parks Department for the entire summer of 2023 -- are now compounded from the massive number of ACL attendees and the heavy equipment needed for concert production in this zone.

This ecological problem will not be resolved by further neglect. The ACL organizers, the Austin Parks Department and the Austin Parks Foundation must acknowledge the current state of damage and make concerted efforts to remediate it. Acres of precious soil are simply floating away in the rain.

Full photo set is available at this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sE5666kBZPXGPHmApYeeyt7WdTqIDGY9?usp=sharing