<P> The City of Austin constructed Longhorn Dam in 1960 to form Town Lake . The city needed the reservoir to serve as a cooling pond for the Holly Street Power Plant, which operated from 1960 until 2007 . </P> <P> Before 1971, the shoreline of Town Lake was mostly a mixture of weeds, unkempt bushes, and trash . Local television station KTBC referred to the lake as an "eyesore ." Some concerned Austinites had tried to clean up the lake, but the effort was only partly successful . During his two terms in office (1971--75), the Mayor of Austin Roy Butler led the Austin City Council to establish the Town Lake Beautification Committee, and he appointed Lady Bird Johnson as the project's honorary chairman . Johnson's involvement brought attention and money (including $19,000 of her own) to the Town Lake project, allowing for the planting of hundreds of shrubs and trees . The city also built a system of hike and bike trails along the shoreline of the lake . </P> <P> On July 26, 2007, the Austin City Council passed a controversial resolution authorizing the renaming of the reservoir from Town Lake to Lady Bird Lake in honor of Lady Bird Johnson, who had died earlier that month . Johnson had declined the honor of having the lake renamed for her while she was alive . In renaming the lake, the City Council recognized Johnson's dedication to beautifying the lake and her efforts to create a recreational trail system around the lake's shoreline . </P> <P> In 2009, non-profit organization Keep Austin Beautiful launched "Clean Lady Bird Lake". The program mobilizes thousands of community volunteers annually to conduct large - scale cleanups along the lake every other month and targeted cleanups throughout the year . </P>

When did town lake became lady bird lake