Lakeside wading pools going away
The Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Department is renovating the Lakeside Park beach to remove the wading pools and add higher-quality sand. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
No more wading pools. The city of Marble Falls is removing the controversial feature on the Lakeside Park beach as well as adding higher-quality sand to its shores.
Built in 2020, the beach has been a source of public criticism with residents citing the wading pools’ tendency to collect debris and grow algae.
“We are always striving to meet the community’s needs and expectations,” said Lacey Dingman, director of the Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Department, in an email reply to DailyTrib.com questions. “We have received feedback from the community since 2020 of concerns of the water quality, safety, and usability of the space.”
Beach renovations began in late 2022 when the Lower Colorado River Authority lowered Lake Marble Falls so it could work on Max Starcke Dam.
“The original design (of the wading pools) included weep holes in the bulkhead wall that allowed water to move from the lake to the wading areas,” Dingman said. “During the lake lowering, we elected to close the holes and partially fill (them) with aggregate.”
Dingman hopes the beach’s upgrades will solve many of the issues put forward by residents.
“We hope that it creates a better experience for our patrons by addressing the continual maintenance issues and providing a higher quality of sand,” she said.
The overhaul will also lower maintenance costs.
“The renovations will certainly lower the man hours that are currently being expended to address the debris in the water; however, the beach itself will continue to receive daily maintenance to provide the highest-quality experience possible to residents and visitors, Dingman continued.”
The work is expected to be done and the beach open to the public by June 1.
“We will post on the city’s website and social media as soon as the beach is open to patrons,” Dingman said.
