‘We think it will hold’: Downtown business owner eyeing rising waters of Shoal Creek

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As rain continues across Austin, people are keeping their eyes on rising waters in local creeks.

At Shoal Creek Saloon, owner Ray Canfield spent Saturday afternoon duct-taping windows and prepping the downtown bar and grill for potential flooding.

The saloon sits on the banks of Shoal Creek off Lamar Boulevard in downtown Austin and advertises its elevation at 476 feet.

Canfield said cameras inside the restaurant captured dramatic footage during the 2015 Memorial Day floods—water blowing out a wall and pouring inside. Since then, he’s made major changes to better protect the building.

“We’ve concreted our walls in and all the doors are that way, too, so if water builds up on the outside of the building, we think it will hold back,” said Canfield.

He noted the restaurant will remain closed on Saturday.

“We plan on opening tomorrow — if we don’t get any more intense rain,” said Ray Canfield.

City leaders urged people in Austin to stay away from local waterways. In a post on social media, Mayor Kirk Watson said, “Please also do not use riverfront trails and move to higher ground. Flash flooding can lead to water rising quickly.”