Council mulls ways to fight trash at lake

As more people cool off at Lake Pflugerville this summer, the Pflugerville City Council discussed last week whether its popularity could have an unpleasant side effect.

During their regular meeting, council members discussed ways to combat what they called a growing debris problem at Lake Pflugerville.

Council Member Omar Peña called for the discussion, saying though increased visitors at the lake is a good indicator of its popularity, the city must do what it can to protect its “jewel.”

“The lake is probably one of, if not, the biggest draw for most people in the community,” he said. “If you go running around the trail, all 3.9 miles of it, on a Sunday morning, you’ll notice that the beach right there, especially in the summertime, has an abundance of trash.”

Peña added that he doesn’t think the problem is a lack of trash bins but more an issue of a growing number of visitors.

Among Peña’s suggestions were imposing parking or lake admission fees — such as those at Zilker Park and Decker Lake in Austin — to control the number of visitors. Parking at Zilker Park costs $5, while entry to Decker Lake costs $10.

Council Member Jeff Marsh questioned that idea, noting it would likely take an additional part-time or full-time employee to sell tickets.

“My second qualm with that idea is it’s a public park,” he said.

Marsh said efforts should instead be dedicated to creating a public awareness campaign to curb littering.

Council Member Mike Heath proposed expanding the park, allowing more room for visitors and fencing it off. Park Director James Hemenes estimated fencing could cost $500,000.

Hemenes also noted the lake’s hours also present a challenge for city parks staff in combating litter. Currently, lake hours are from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. Fishing and walking the trails is allowed 24 hours a day.

Visitors at the lake on Wednesday had mixed opinions about the proposed changes, with some disagreeing about the severity of the trash problem at the lake.

Manor resident Destinee Alexander said the lake is clean and she rarely sees trash when she visits. She said charging visitors would have negative outcomes for the lake’s popularity.

“We can go to a much bigger lake if we want to pay for entrance,” she said.

Austin resident Brandon Johnson called Lake Pflugerville one of the cleanest lakes he visits.

“It all boils down to the people,” he said. “You can bring it to someone’s attention, not in a rude way, but let them know there are people watching. If I’m watching, that means that somebody else is watching.”