These Austin pools are offering free admission due to Texas heat wave - Austin American-Statesman

These Austin pools are offering free admission due to Texas heat wave

These Austin pools are offering free admission through Sept. 30 due to Texas heat wave
Amethyst Martinez

Looking for relief from the heat? All city pools, with the exception of Barton Springs, are offering free pool admission now through Sept. 30.

In response to the ongoing scalding heatwave affecting residents across the state, Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Go Austin/Vamos Austin, along with District 10 Council Member Alison Alter, worked together to offer a fee waiver to those looking to cool off.

"The driving force behind this was the need to provide relief from the heat to community members that don't have easy access to pools or air conditioning and can't afford to spend to go to the pool," said Alter.

More: 22 Austin pools and Central Texas swimming holes to visit this summer

Although the goal was to reduce pool fees, the idea ended up leading to free admission to all pools except Barton Springs.

"This was a good example of the city taking action quickly," said Alter. "This is an important time to do this."

Which Austin pools are free?

Pool locations across the city include 44 public aquatic facilities: seven regional pools, three community pools, 22 neighborhood pools, one wading pool, and 11 splash pads.

According to Alter, most neighborhood pools are closing as soon as students go back to school, leaving fewer options for residents as early as next week.

"So, making these other pools free at this time is really critical for helping to keep people cool," said Alter. If you want to make a donation to our system, you can do that through the parks. But this makes it easier so that there are no barriers to swim."

More information on which pools and splashpads locations are open: austintexas.gov/pools-splashpads

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Which Austin pools are open until Oct. 1?

Last week, Austin's parks department also announced that six pools are also extending operations through October 1 in response to the extreme weather. Splashpads are open until October 31 unless otherwise noted. The pools are:

- Garrison Pool
- Govalle Pool
- Mabel Davis Pool
- Northwest Pool
- Shipe Pool
- Walnut Creek Pool