CITY & COUNTY
LADY BIRD LAKE USAGE A study by Huston-Tillotson University nds watercraft—including kayaks, canoes and paddleboards—capacity is often exceeded on Lady Bird Lake. Associate professor Amanda Masino o ered the city solutions to manage the crowding.
Austin residents concerned about overcrowding on Lady Bird Lake
ELLE BENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
WHAT IS CAPACITY? Low density of watercraft
BY ELLE BENT
Goal capacity
on peak weekends, including sum- mer holidays, where the average density was 0.5 acres per boat, which is about twice as congested as the target density, according to the study. On weekdays, the capacity is at an average of 2.34 acres per boat. The watercraft density in the MoPac to Lamar Boulevard area was 12-22 times higher than the average density of the entire lake, per the study. Inadequate parking was considered a concern by 49.1% of respondents. More than 58% of those surveyed expressed strong or moderate concern with lake crowding and 57.2% with trail crowding. Of those surveyed 61.4% sometimes experienced a loss of enjoyment due to lake crowding, per the study. Masino recommended several strategies to deal with the crowding, including monitoring human impact on the lake.
High density of watercraft
AUSTIN Lady Bird Lake receives roughly ve million visitors per year and is often overcapacity, according to a study and survey from research- ers at Huston-Tillotson University. The capacity study of Lady Bird Lake was presented at an Environ- mental Commission meeting March 1 by Amanda Masino, associate pro- fessor of biology and chair of natural sciences at Huston-Tillotson. The study looked at watercrafts— such as kayaks and paddleboards—on the lake and surveyed residents on their perception of crowding. The surface area of Lady Bird Lake is 471 acres, with a target density of 1 to 1.3 acres per watercraft, per the study. Over four days recorded in 2022, the study found a range of 188 watercraft on Friday, June 17, to 1,100 on Saturday, July 2. Recreational capacity was exceeded
B
A
C D
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
Acres per watercraft
FOUR SAMPLE DAYS IN 2022 = 100 watercraft vessels
A
B
C
D
MAY 29
JUNE 17
JUNE 18
JULY 2
0.67
2.34
0.42
0.4
Acres per watercraft
HOW TO REDUCE CAPACITY
• Spread out more formal access points, amenities • Increase trail connectivity • O er activities outside of the congested zones
• Expanding public education • Expand volunteer programs and roles • Increase monitoring of environmental impact
• Strengthen
enforcement of unlicensed vendors and trash policies
SOURCE: HUSTON TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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