Electric scooters retrieved from Lady Bird Lake in APD cleanup effort

The Austin Police Department recovered 20 electric scooters and several other submerged items from Lady Bird Lake on Tuesday morning in a coordinated cleanup effort intended to improve safety on the waterway.

Members of APD’s Dive Team and Lake Patrol Unit entered the water near the MoPac Boulevard bridge at sunrise, where officers had recently identified multiple scooters lodged along the lake bottom or tangled in shoreline vegetation.

Divers marked and retrieved 20 scooters, one shopping cart and two bicycles, APD said.

In recent months, several scooters were identified at the bottom Lady Bird Lake or tangled up in vegetation. This morning, members of the Austin Police (APD) Dive Team, and Lake Patrol Unit began marking the scooters to remove them from the water. The team recovered 20 scooters,… pic.twitter.com/SBgj4a5JkU

— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) November 4, 2025

Why retrieve them?

Sgt. Issa Kafena said removing the debris was critical for public safety, as submerged scooters and other obstacles in the lake can become hazards to rescue dive teams.

“We’re in here a few times a year for various recovery operations, and those obstacles are very dangerous for (divers) when they’re underwater,” Kafena said in a video released by APD. “If their lines get snagged or if they get caught on something, it can become very dangerous for the divers.”

Electric scooters have become a recurring challenge for local agencies since electric vehicle companies began operating in Austin several years ago. Although most riders leave them at designated drop-off locations, some end up in creeks, drainage channels and the lake itself, officials have said. When left underwater, the scooters' lithium ion batteries can leak chemicals, wreaking havoc on natural habitats and contaminating water sources.

Who came out to help?

Tuesday’s retrieval effort was supported by Austin-Travis County EMS, the city’s Watershed Protection Department, and the Austin Transportation and Public Works Mobility division. Electric vehicle companies Lime and Bird, both of which have a significant presence in Austin, assisted local officials by providing GPS coordinates to help locate submerged scooters.

“Depending on the results, this may become a more regular project,” Kafena said. “Just don’t dump the scooters in the lake.”

Anyone who sees a scooter or large object in the lake is asked to report it through Austin 311.