CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOWCVILLE RIGHT NOW) – After water multiple water quality tests came back normal, Mint Springs Valley Park will open to swimming during the weekend along with Chris Greene Lake and Walnut Creek parks, according to an Albemarle County Parks & Rec release.
When the lakes open up this weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., that begins the summer season where they’ll be open those hours seven days a week until Aug. 9.
County Communications Director Abbey Stumpf noted to Cville Right Now the June 1 to Aug. 9 summer hours and dates are in concert with when school let out for the summer May 29 and when the next school years starts Aug. 12.
“It’s very true the vast majority of our lifeguards are in that high school and college age, a lot of the swim is adjusted to make sure we have the staffing during the summertime between schools hours,” Stumpf said. “Our lakes are fully staffed, they’ve been fully staffed for the last couple of years, which is really exciting news to make sure we have our hours open that we can and our community wants.”
That has not always been the case in some years prior since the pandemic as not just Albemarle County, but the entire nation, had a lifeguard shortage that caused the county to sometimes have to close some lakes because they couldn’t staff all of them.
All three lakes were supposed to open last Memorial Day weekend, but Mint Springs could not because of a toxic algae bloom found in the water the May 21.
The other two lakes were open, as Stumpf said they’re open rain or shine, but cool and rainy conditions kept the number of swimmers way down.
The Accuweather forecast this weekend is lots of sunshine with temperatures reaching into the upper 70s, a pattern that will continue through next week as the lakes are open for the first time through the week.
“We do have lifeguards out there, so if there’s unsafe weather conditions such as lightning or torrential downpours, the lifeguards will obviously make a call to make sure that swimming is safe,” Stumpf said.
The county charges fees, reduced to county residents, for swimming as well as kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals at Walnut Creek and Chris Greene Lake.
New this year, credit cards will be accepted for the first time along with cash and checks.
Those who come to the parks are invited to fill out a summer swimming survey on the Engage Albemarle information website.
People going to the parks are invited to take the survey which will be active all summer long.
“That’s an opportunity for you to share what your experience was so we can make things better in the future,” Stumpf said.
She said several years ago they were hearing from community input that the hours at the lakes weren’t working quite right, especially for families with young kids who wanted to be able to get to the lake earlier so that they could return home afterwards for naps.
They adjusted the hours to what they are now, and Stumpf said they saw an uptick in the number of people using the lakes.
Summer swim survey flyers are also posted at the beaches.
