Retaining Wall Repair and Tree Removal at Barton Springs Pool

On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Austin Parks and Recreation will begin a project to maintain and restore the historic stone masonry retaining wall along the eastern edge of Barton Springs Pool. 

Work will include the removal of vegetation and trees that are compromising the wall’s stability, completion of an engineering assessment, and structural repairs to the retaining wall. This project will address long-standing deterioration caused by plant and tree growth within the wall’s backfill area. 

The work will be completed in phases from September of 2026 until early 2027, depending on the engineering assessment report. Barton Springs Pool will maintain normal hours of operation during this period.

Project Timeline

Tree Removal (September 2026)
The Austin Parks and Recreation forestry team will remove 37 trees located within the retaining wall’s zone of influence and the area directly affecting the wall’s effectiveness and stability. Most of the trees being removed have an average diameter of seven inches. The removal will include 26 hackberry, five American elm, one ligustrum, three mulberry, and two pecan trees. One tree, a codominant hackberry in poor condition, is large enough to require a permit for removal which has already been approved. This tree is contributing to the most severe structural failure at Location 1 as shown in the map below. Once repairs have been completed, trees will not be replanted in the immediate area to avoid future impacts to the repaired wall.

Vegetation Removal (September 2026)
Austin Parks and Recreation’s Zilker Park grounds maintenance team will clear overgrowth and vines along the wall, allowing a structural engineer full access for evaluation.

Engineer Assessment and Design (Fall/Winter 2026)
A structural engineer specializing in historic preservation will assess the wall determine a plan for reconstruction.

Wall Repair and Rehabilitation (Early 2027–To Be Determined)
Using the engineer’s structural repair details, skilled masonry teams, either City staff or contracted professionals, will reconstruct and stabilize the affected wall sections. Repair work will be fenced off for safety and will not impact Barton Springs Pool operations.

As with any construction project, schedules are projected as accurately as possible, and all dates are subject to change due to the nature of construction and weather.

Background

The retaining wall, originally built in 1917, is a contributory structure to Zilker Park’s designation as a Historic District under the National Register of Historic Places. Five sections of the wall are showing signs of structural failure, as illustrated in the map below.

Photographs of the wall as shown in Figure 1, below, taken in 1939 and 2012, show that repairs have been attempted over past decades. Since 2015, staff have documented increasing structural deterioration caused primarily by vegetation and tree growth in the wall’s backfill area. Deep-rooted vegetation within the zone of influence of retaining walls is typically prohibited, as added load and root pressure weaken masonry structures over time.

Figures 2 through 5, below, highlight the areas where degradation is most pronounced. A fence installed at the top of the wall has limited routine maintenance access, allowing vegetation and trees to grow unchecked and further destabilize the wall.

Visit the project page for the Retaining Wall Repair and Tree Removal at Barton Springs Pool for additional information and updates about the project.