“2011, What a Year” or, to parody Dr. Strangelove “How I Learned to Stop Worrying about the Heat and Love the Algae”
by Gary Beyer
What was that, anyway? I’m talking about this last summer, Summer 2011. 100 plus temperatures for weeks, no, make that months on end. If it wasn’t for Barton Springs, I would have spent the entire summer inside the air conditioning watching Bonanza re-runs. Thank God (or the Goddess, or the Dharma) for Barton Springs. Apparently everyone else felt the same way. The attendance at Barton Springs this summer doubled as nature lovers who wanted to get outside and didn’t want to die from heat exhaustion took refuge in the cool, refreshing waters. And poor old Barton Springs welcomed our presence in record numbers, but not without wear and tear. The record drought has devastated the trees and grass, and reduced the spring flow to a trickle, resulting in the lowest water quality in a long time. Still, our intrepid volunteers have fought on, sweeping record volumes of algae. Thanks to you, we logged in over 900 hours of volunteer service to help keep the pool clean and clearer that it would have been otherwise. Hats off (or Namaste!)
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