Dog owners consider next move at park

AUSTIN (KXAN) - More than a year into one a fight on behalf of their four-legged friends, a group of dog lovers is now considering the next step to keep dogs off-leash in a West Austin park and city wide.

The Bull Creek Dog Off-Leash Group began in Summer 2008, with the efforts of volunteers, after City of Austin staffers announced high levels of e-coli found in Bull Creek near one of the city's busiest dog parks.

The city said dog waste contributed a major amount of contamination to the creek's watershed.

More than a year later, creek contamination remains high, and the all-volunteer group finds itself just more than a month away from closure of the Bull Creek District Park for a restoration project, and an uncertain future about dogs on the grounds there.

"There's not an alternative to Bull Creek," said Debra Bailey, president of the Bull Creek Dog Off-Leash Group. "By closing this park, the other off leash areas that are already over used are going to be even more overused.

The City of Austin currently has 12 off-leash areas with one soon to open in South Austin.

In early September, the city held a stakeholder meeting to gather neighborhood and city staff input about Bull Creek. Bailey entered the meeting hopeful, she said, but left a skeptic after the meeting held 42 percent staff members.

Last week, the City's Parks Board recommended moving forward with a plan to close the park until spring 2010 to allow re-vegetation at the park.

The board also voted down a staff proposal to use Emma Long Park as an off leash area.

Bailey's contends the closure of the park will set a precedent for future closures of other parks when water quality is at issue.

"By closing one, they're going to say well, Oh why do we need other off leash areas."

Meanwhile, the City of Austin's Parks department is taking applications for an off-leash advisory committee, trying to come up with policies for dog owners around town.

Chris Yanez, the principal planner for the Parks Department, said his staff has run out of options for new off-leash areas.

"It's not looking good right now," Yanez said. "But that's why we need a committee to help us find alternative locations."

Bull Creek District Park will close Nov. 1 to the public.