Barton Hills sits between two bodies of water, and this fall they're telling different stories. At 2 a.m. on October 19, the U.S. Geological Survey gauge on Barton Creek at Loop 360 read 0.00 cubic feet per second. That evening, the USGS gauge at Barton Springs read 18.5 cfs. It's the same creek a few miles apart, on the same day. One reading is zero and the other isn't.
So for now the Greenbelt's swimming holes are mostly empty, and Barton Springs Pool is still full of 68-degree water. The water that's still moving in this part of Austin is coming up from underground. That changes how the trails, the pool and even your sprinkler schedule work through the end of the year.
Two Gauges on the Same Creek
Both readings are provisional USGS snapshots, so they show a moment in time and can change quickly.
| Location | Reading | When |
|---|---|---|
| Barton Creek at Loop 360 | 0.00 cfs | 2 a.m., Oct. 19, 2026 |
| Barton Springs | 18.5 cfs | 9 p.m., Oct. 19, 2026 |
| Barton Springs, 10-day average | 15 cfs | as of Oct. 8, 2026 |
The Loop 360 gauge measures the stretch of creek most people mean by "the Greenbelt." That's where Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls and Gus Fruh sit. Barton Springs is where groundwater comes to the surface just downstream, at the pool. Through most of October, the first reading has been flat and the second has kept going.
The zero isn't new. In its October 3 Greenbelt report, ATX Things listed 0.00 cfs at both the Loop 360 and Above Barton Springs gauges and 1.08 cfs at Lost Creek. It described Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls and Gus Fruh as "standing pools at best." The same outlet wrote that the creek had been dry since a July heat wave.
Why the Creek Emptied While the Springs Held
The two run on different clocks. The City of Austin says water levels in the Barton Creek Greenbelt depend on recent rainfall. The parks department doesn't monitor them; instead, it points visitors to the USGS and LCRA stream gauges. If it hasn't rained lately, there's no water in the creek.
And it hasn't rained much. According to the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District's October 8 drought update, Camp Mabry recorded 0.47 inches of rain in September and Austin-Bergstrom recorded 0.08 inches. Averaged together, that's about 0.3 inches, roughly 2.4 inches below the long-term September average. It ranks as the 14th driest September on record. Through September, the region had received about 23.8 inches for the year, around 66% of the historical annual average of 36 inches.
Barton Springs is fed from below. The City describes the pool as spring-fed, averaging 68 to 70 degrees. Spring flow is drought-sensitive too, just more slowly. The district placed its territory in Stage 3 Exceptional Drought, measured the springs' 10-day average at 15 cfs as of October 8, and said the early-October rain produced little runoff or aquifer recharge. In other words, the springs are running on water already stored in the aquifer.
Relief doesn't look close. The National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio forecast discussion issued October 18 called for no rain through the extended forecast. The aquifer district's October through December outlook does show better-than-usual odds of above-average rainfall, but over a longer stretch of time.
The Pool Is Where the Water Is
Since the creek above it is dry, Barton Springs Pool is the place in Barton Hills to swim this fall. A few schedule details matter more than usual over the next couple of weeks.
Hours. The City lists daily hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., except Thursdays. On Thursdays, 5 to 9 a.m. is swim-at-your-own-risk, the pool closes for cleaning from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and guarded swim runs 7 to 10 p.m. If you're reading this on Thursday, October 29, today is a cleaning day, so plan for an early swim or an evening one.
Fees. Austin Parks and Recreation says entry fees at Barton Springs and the other regional pools are generally charged from AISD spring break through the end of October. October 31 falls on Saturday this year, so this weekend should be the last of the paid season. The current daily rates are:
- Adults 18 to 62: $5 resident, $9 non-resident
- Juniors 12 to 17: $3 resident, $5 non-resident
- Children 1 to 11: $2 resident, $4 non-resident
- Seniors 62 and older: $2 resident, $5 non-resident
- Children under 1 and honorably discharged veterans: free
The City recommends buying tickets through its ATXswims app and activating them when you arrive. The on-site kiosks take cards or exact cash.
The bathhouse. The poolside restrooms and showers are open, along with most of the front parking lot. The rotunda and main entrance are still closed, and so is the construction area on the west side. KUT reported on October 8 that the City now expects the rotunda of the $22 million Joan Means Khabele Bathhouse renovation to reopen in December at the earliest. For now, you'll still get in the way you have all year.
The springs are also home to the endangered Barton Springs salamander. Even with the springs running low, the City's posted pool hours are the same routine daily schedule described above.
What the Dry Greenbelt Is Good For
The empty creek above the pool is easier to walk than usual. In its October 3 report, ATX Things described the limestone creek bottom as firm and dusty, compared with the slog it becomes in wet months, and noted that the shade over most of the trail keeps it comfortable. Walking the creek bed isn't something you can do in a wet spring.
The City's advice holds in a drought too: check the gauges before you go, because conditions can change quickly. If the Loop 360 reading jumps above zero, the holes are starting to fill and the creek bed won't be a dry path anymore.
The low water is also a good time to work on the Greenbelt. Austin Parks Foundation, Austin Parks and Recreation and Siglo Group are running a stewardship series on the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Volunteers learn invasive-species removal, trail construction, erosion control, and native seed collection and planting, using Nature Steward as the course guide. Three sessions are left, all at the Violet Crown Trailhead:
The foundation asks volunteers to bring plenty of water, ideally with electrolytes, and to wear gear suited to uneven, wooded ground.
Downstream, past the pool, the City has finished a different kind of creek repair. Near the Ann and Roy Butler Trail, across from Lou Neff Point, a streambank stabilization project added a 640-foot stabilized slope and a 270-foot limestone wall. The City lists it as complete and open, with completion in spring 2026. If you walk the loop from the pool down toward Lady Bird Lake, you'll pass it.
The Same Dry Season at Home
The drought reaches your yard too, through a separate set of rules. The aquifer district's Stage 3 status is its own measure. At home, Austin Water's restrictions apply. The utility says the City has been at Conservation Stage since September 2, 2025. Here's how that works for houses in Barton Hills:
- Automatic or manual irrigation systems: one day a week, from midnight to 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. to midnight. Thursday for even-numbered residential addresses, Wednesday for odd.
- Hose-end sprinklers and drip irrigation: two days a week in the same time windows. Thursday and Sunday for even-numbered addresses, Wednesday and Saturday for odd.
This post is general information, so check Austin Water's watering schedule for the current rules at your address before you reset a controller. Your watering day and the pool's cleaning day can land on the same Thursday.
If you're thinking about how a dry year affects a yard, a pool or a creek-side lot in Barton Hills, Heart of Austin is happy to talk it through over coffee, or on a walk along the dry creek bed. Contact Us.
