Location: 401 Deep Eddy Ave.
To contact the Deep Eddy Pool, call 512-472-8546.
This park has 1 reservable area(s). For more information, visit the City of Austin Parks Department list of reservable areas or call (512) 974-6797. For Travis County Park reservations, call (512) 854-7275.
Size: 8.00 Acres
Amenities:
Barbeque Pits 1 Fishing Piers 1 Picnic Tables 16 Playgrounds 1
Reservable Facilities 1 Swimming Pools 1 Trail Miles 0.2
Description
The main attraction here is Deep Eddy Pool, but there is also a toddler play area, an ADA accessible ramp to the hike and bike trail, and dock onto Town Lake for fish and bird-spotting. There is a new smoker available in the park area.
Friends of Eilers Park has been making improvements to the park area. Long term plans include adding more play equipment, shade cover, better lighting, landscape maintenance and beautification.
The Friends of Deep Eddy recently completed a massive reconstruction of the historic bathhouse.
Historic Droughts Affect Deep Eddy Wells
Historic drought conditions have caused the two wells feeding Deep Eddy Pool to go almost dry forcing the continued closure of the shallow portion of the swimming hole until groundwater levels rise.
The deeper end of the pool will continue to be open daily for lap swimmers and others.
“We have all felt the effects of 100-degree temperatures and lack of rain,” said Tom Nelson, who oversees Deep Eddy Pool as part of his duties as an Aquatics Division Manager. “The lack of water for the Deep Eddy wells is unprecedented in anyone’s memory.
“The City of Austin already is looking into alternatives to supply water to the pool,” Nelson said. “Of course, a possible quick fix would be substantial rainfall.”
The shallow end at Deep Eddy was closed Aug. 28 after a pump malfunction on the well used to fill that portion of the pool. Still, even with a more efficient pump, the low groundwater levels are causing continued problems.
Deep Eddy, built in 1916, is a popular spot with families, especially its shallow end. City officials suggest Barton Springs, Northwest and Big Stacy pools as nearby options for those who have used the now closed portion of Deep Eddy.
Major improvements at Deep Eddy, including potentially new, deeper wells are already scheduled, funded by $5 million in bonds approved by Austin voters in 2006. Those projects slated to be completed in 2011 may be accelerated because of issues raised by this year’s drought.
The City’s Watershed Protection Department will work with Parks and Recreation staff to evaluate the wells to determine what can be done to help water flows into the pool.
“The current drought has taken its toll on Austin’s groundwater resources,” said Scott Hiers, geologist with the Watershed Protection Department. “Deep Eddy Pool, which is fed with two hand-dug wells, is having difficulty obtaining groundwater for the pool. We will be evaluating existing conditions of the wells to identify options for keeping the entire pool open.”
Contact: Victor Ovalle, Parks and Recreation, (512) 974-6745
Wendy Morgan, Watershed Protection, (512) 974-2090
Partners and Links
Friends of Deep Eddy, Inc. Leon J. Barish http://www.deepeddy.org/
Friends of Eilers Park Patricia Hadden 474-7620 http://www.friendsofeilerspark.org
Friends of Eilers Park Update!
Hello Park Supporters, Next to Deep Eddy is a community park, Eilers Park. After three years of hard work, Friends of Eilers Park in collaboration with TBG Partners landscape architects has created a plan for a revitalized
Deep Eddy Pool Partially Closed Due To Drought
Drought affects wells at Deep Eddy Pool - Historic drought conditions have caused the two wells feeding Deep Eddy Pool to go almost dry, forcing the continued closure of the shallow portion of the swimming hole until groundwater levels rise. The deeper end of the pool will continue to be open daily for lap swimmers and others.
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Listing of West Austin Neighborhood Attractions
Park History
An eddy formed by a large boulder in the Colorado River— cooled by nearby natural springs —attracted people to this site seeking respite from Austin’s hot summers. The land was settled in 1855 by Charles Johnson who established a gristmill and constructed his house on the hillside from rock quarried nearby. In 1902 Johnson’s children opened Deep Eddy Bathing Company with campsites and, on both sides of the river, tents used for changing. In 1915 the land was purchased by A.J. Eilers who, amidst picturesque cliffs and stands of cottonwood and willow, established a resort and built a spring-fed, rectilinear swimming pool. Summer cottages dotted the hillside; a Ferris wheel, diving towers, and musical performances attracted people to the resort; and, in 1925, the Johnson house was designated the local American Legion headquarters.
The Depression forced the City to purchase the eight-acre parcel in 1935; inundated later that year by a massive flood. In 1936, with assistance from the Works Progress Administration, the pool was restored and park amenities constructed, including a “streamline moderne” bathhouse, designed by Dan Driscoll and Delmar Groos , with a pagoda roof and open changing rooms planted with banana trees. A curvilinear path circulates across a lawn, terminating at the pool, which is embraced by mature oaks and cottonwoods on the hillside. Deep Eddy Pool was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 and in 2007 the Friends of Deep Eddy, the City, and Limbacher & Godfrey Architects restored the bathhouse to its historic condition.