Barton Creek Mall land clearing, 1979 (Joe Riddell Personal Collection)

Barton Creek Mall land clearing, 1979
Joe Riddell Personal Collection

1979

Days after the ground-breaking of Barton Creek Square Mall, swimmers downstream at Barton Springs notice a change in water quality including a slimy yellow, foul-smelling algae.

Contractors... for the new Barton Creek Square Mall have joined forces to scrape and gouge hundreds of acres of its watershed until it is as naked and sterile as a World War II battlefield.

— Journalist Bill Collier, Austin American Statesman

Stewards

Supporting Documents

Related Events

A Chronology of Human Impacts on Barton Creek

MoPac Construction
1969-1971
Mopac Construction
Developer Violates Creek Ordinance
June 1974
Environmental Attorney Joe Riddell
Barton Springs Bypass Tunnel
December 1974
City Imposes Building Moratorium
June 1979
Horseshoe Bend Development in Barton Creek Area
Barton Creek Square Mall Construction
1979
Barton Creek Mall land clearing, 1979
Trail Of Broken Promises
April 1981
Environmental Attorney Joe Riddell
Barton Creek Mall Pollution Controls Fail
1981-1990s
Barton Creek Square Mall, 1988
Algae Overgrowth Linked To Development
1993
Cladophora algae grows in 6-foot strands and attaches itself to rocks.
A Decade Of Damage To Barton Creek Continues
December 2000