Lake Pflugerville back open for water recreation

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - Lake Pflugerville is back open for on-water activities, but it's BYOK (Bring Your Own Kayak).

What they're saying:

Pflugerville Parks & Recreation says the lake is now open for beach access, boating and swimming after reaching 634 feet in elevation.

It's BYOK, but Parks & Recreation says they plan to have kayak and canoe rentals back for this summer.

What to know about Lake Pflugerville

Local perspective:

Here's what you should know before visiting Lake Pflugerville.

Lake hours

Lake Pflugerville is open for public use from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For those fishing and in possession of a valid state fishing license, the lake is open 24 hours a day.

What not to do on the Lake

Here's what you can't do on Lake Pflugerville:

• No driving or operating a motorized boat of any kind on the lake unless you are city staff or authorized by city staff and carrying out city business, or the boat is an electric-powered fishing boat or model boat
• No horses on public lands or trails abutting or adjacent to the lake
• No throwing, depositing, placing or dropping any materials into the lake or trails abutting or adjacent to the lake
• No swimming on the lake between buoys near the intake structure and dam
• No starting, creating or maintaining a fire, except in a BBQ grill
• No operating a motorized vehicle on the land or trails abutting or adjacent to the lake, unless the vehicle is being used for emergency, handicapped or trail maintenance
• No bathing, urinating, or defecating in the lake or on the nearby public lands or trails
• No camping on the public lands or trails abutting or adjacent to the lake

For more information on Lake Pflugerville, click here.

Why was Lake Pflugerville closed?

Dig deeper:

On March 4, the lake and its fishing piers closed to recreational usage after Mayor Doug Weiss issued an emergency disaster declaration due to an imminent public water supply failure. 

The declaration was due to "the failure of a pipeline feeding raw water to Lake Pflugerville has resulted in declining lake elevations, which are forecasted to continue dropping."

Stage 3 water restrictions were put in place after the original 30-inch raw intake pipe that fills the lake broke while a 42-inch secondary raw waterline was being constructed. 

The water flow was turned back on prematurely, according to city officials, causing the pipe to move and crack.

A few days later, crews were installing a bypass pipe in order to get water flowing again. The 24-inch temporary bypass waterline was fully installed by March 11, allowing water to be pumped from the Colorado River to Lake Pflugerville.

On March 17, a fifth break was found in the raw waterline. By the evening of March 18, the pipeline was repaired and water flow to the lake had been restored, according to the city.

At a March 24 meeting, city council stated that the city is working with contractors and consultants to schedule another shutdown around the last week of May which could last about two weeks. 

On April 24, Lake Pflugerville reached 633 feet in elevation, allowing fishing from the shore and most piers and marking a first step in easing water constraints.

On May 1, the city went into a modified Stage 1, but officials still warn that conservation is critical as the city prepares for a two-week shutdown after Memorial Day to complete repairs and construction and conduct essential pump maintenance.