14.1 Bathing and Swimming
14.2 Dallas city ordinances say you may not enter any
water of a river, stream, pond, or watercourse within
the city with the intent to swim, bathe, or wade.33
14.3 Exception: If the body of water is a public, semipublic
or private swimming pool.
14.4 It is a defense to prosecution if:
� the person is trying to rescue or recover a human being
or property from the water; or
� the water was designated by official signs showing
that wading or going into the water in a specific designated
area is authorized.

I talked to the Dallas PD Chief over at the substation. about this last year. They will write you a ticket. It sucks, the law sucks. It is arbitrary and needless to enforce such a stupid law.

It's arbitrary and silly, but I believe the majority of the police patrolling the lake WILL write you a ticket. I even contacted city councilman SHEFFIE KADANE, who represents part of the WRL area and agreed it is weird and looked into it for me. (I like this guy, he really did try to help and put me in touch with the police chief.) My original contention was against the statutes pertaining specifically to WRL as I didn't see any reference to wading, but the chief quickly informed me of the city code I posted above that applies to ALL of the city.
I said thank you for the info, and politely hung up. There was no point in continuing the inquiry. Now of course it is obvious that this law was put in place for a reason. The city might have you believe it is a public safety issue. But I assure you nobody is getting tickets are going to jail for wading in the hundreds of miles of "public water" that course thru Big D. The cops aren't staking out the Trinity for waders and their outlaw subset...the tubers. The city of Dallas could give a rats arse about your safety or public health in regards to this issue, The jet fleas and para-sailors will be crashing about with reckless abandon on one of their city owned lakes here in about an hour. 200 HP bass-boat tourney guys will be planing out at 60-70 mph heading for "Their Spot" as well. Whiterock will be covered with sailboats and other preferred boats, with crews of young healthy, thoughtful people gleefully plying the lovely urban retreat. Now of course many of these folks will not be wearing a PPD. In fact practically none of the sailors and rowers will be wearing a device, why should they right? They are elite in their healthy lifestyles and fitness regimen, They must meet strict guidelines to become members of the rowing clubs. These are athletes and their feet never...ever touch the waters of the lake. Never for access or upon removal of their vessels. They just....don't....do it.

Oddly, the only person you might see with a U.S. Coast Guard approved flotation device firmly in place at all times, and in my case 2 (including my life vest)...I repeat the only person.....could well be the float tube fisherman.

The well healed residents along the shoreline don't care for fishermen very much. They will do anything they can to keep us off THEIR lake. A few well crafted laws and dually appointed lawmakers and law enforcers see to it that the Hoi-Palloi are relegated to the backwaters and quarry pits where they are more suited.