Texas Hill Country News
A Reminder of the Comal and Guadalupe River ‘Can Ban’
When some Texans make their summer plans to float down the Comal or the Guadalupe River in an intertube, they imagine a slightly warm beer in their hand while they work on getting their first major sunburn of the summer. But, the days of carelessly drifting down the river with a can are over due to too many people letting their cans float away and trash the water. Now, those who want to have a cold one will need to think ahead. Drinks (even alcoholic ones) are allowed, but there will be no aluminum cans, no Styrofoam, no glass, and no littering.
The “can ban” was fought over for quite some time, but KSAT says, “During the 2 1/2 years the ordinance was enforced, the amount of litter collected dropped. While the law was on appeal, officials said they saw more litter along the rivers.” The Comal Tubes website says that since the ban, some people have assumed they wouldn’t be able to “have fun” on the river like they used to, so attendance has been lower. With less people, the environmental aspects have gotten much cleaner and more enjoyable, but some local businesses have taken a hit.
ABC 13 states that although there’s no word on when exactly the ban will begin again, it is definitely set to return. Those who want to review all of the rules of tubing down the popular Texas rivers should read this page on the New Braunsfels website.
