Rain adds hurdle to Zilker clean up

Austin (KXAN) - The clean-up after the Austin City Limits music festval hit a new hurdle with Friday's rains.  The rain left parts of Zilker Park under water.

There's been a lot of talk about the mud, but the rain actually helped wash some of that mud away.  The standing water, however, briefly shut down the clean-up effort.

Clean-up work at the park ground to a halt during the heavy rain Friday morning.  But by mid-afternoon, the cranes and other heavy equipment were moving again.

ACL producer C3 Presents still plans to have all signs of the festival gone from the park by Monday morning.

"They are investing back into the park, both at Zilker and at other parks," said Austin Parks Foundation Executive Director Charlie McCabe.

McCabe says, despite the muddy, murky mess at Zilker after the festival, the city will benefit in the long run.

"We've already spent or allocated a million dollars for 55 projects throughout the city," said McCabe.

All of that money comes from a portion of ACL ticket sales, and is donated to the Parks Foundation by C3.

Among the beneficiaries, downtown's historic Republic Square Park and its 300-year-old oak trees.

"I think they're an example of a good citizen that gives back," McCabe said of C3.

According to their lease agreement with the city, C3 pays the City of Austin just $24,830 to lease the park for the festival.  A dollar from every ticket sold goes to the Parks Foundation.

C3 has also pledged $2.5 million over the next five years for improvements to Zilker Park.

City parks officials said that they anticipate the park to re-open to the public in about three weeks.