City pushing Bull Creek dog park rules

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A popular Austin dog park could ban off-leash pets as soon as next month.

A news release from Austin's Watershed Protection Department says the city is considering making changes to Bull Creek District Park in Northwest Austin. The park is one of 12 off-leash parks run by the city.

For almost two years, Austin’s Water Protection and Development Department has been looking at the link between dog feces at the Bull Creek off-leash dog park and rising E. coli levels at the park.

The proposed changes aim to bring those levels down. To do that, the city wants to make owners keep their dogs on leashes at the park. The city would also close the park for up to eight months to restore vegetation along the creek banks.

The city wants the new rules to go into effect on September 8.

The city is scheduled to brief the Environmental Board on August 19 and the Parks Board on August 25 on the proposed rules.  A public hearing on the measure will be scheduled for late August.