What has to happen for Hamilton Pool to reopen for swimming?

TRAVIS COUNTY (KXAN) — Swimming was halted at Hamilton Pool in 2021 due to falling rocks, and with summer weather quickly approaching, Travis County officials are trying to make it safe to swim there again.

The February 2021 storms caused rocks to break off from the grotto and fall into the water below, officials said. While all other areas of the preserve are open and will remain open through the summer, making the popular swimming spot safe again is a top priority before it gets hot again in Central Texas.

"Our Travis County Parks staff is working to have it open as soon as possible," said Hector Nieto with Travis County.

Nieto said the parks department is working with the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin to "evaluate the safety and stability of the area." He said parks staff are setting up buoy lines to help make a safer swimming area and prevent people from going into areas more prone to falling rocks.

Once that's done, Nieto said staff will do another safety check with both the pool and the grotto and then figure out when to let swimmers back in.

The county recently bought seven "conservation easements" to protect the land around both Hamilton Pool and Milton Reimers Ranch Park from future development. Funding for the purchase came from a 2017 bond approved by voters.

Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard said similar conservation easements purchases are in the works for eastern Travis County.