The San Gabriel River is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

that flows through central

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, USA. The San Gabriel River is formed in Georgetown by the confluence of the North Fork San Gabriel and the South Fork San Gabriel, both of which originate in Burnet County. There are two major impoundments of the river: Lake Georgetown along the North Fork, and Granger Lake, about 25 miles (40 km) below the confluence. Both are

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

impoundments. The San Gabriel River joins the Little River five miles south of

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 1 ...

which then meets the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

northwest of College Station. There is a city park in Georgetown at the confluence of the North and South Forks, with a well-known local swimming spot (the " Blue Hole") located just upriver from the confluence on the South Fork. Like most

Texas Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Americ ...

rivers, the San Gabriel west of the

Balcones Fault The Balcones Fault or Balcones Fault Zone is an area of largely normal faulting Edwards Aquifer in the U.S. state of Texas that runs roughly from the southwest part of the state near Del Rio to the north-central region near Dallas along In ...

is characterized by limestone river bottoms, some moderate rapids, small canyons, and muddy bottoms along slower-moving stretches; east of the Balcones Fault, the San Gabriel flows through the Blackland Prairie where rock features at the surface are more rare and the deep, clay soils are rolling to level and support dryland farms and more lush pastures than the thin soils to the west. Given the past tendency toward periodic large-scale but short-lived floods before construction of the large impoundments, much of the bottomland along the river banks east of Georgetown is forested with a mix of native oak and pecan plus other varieties, though in some locations pecan orchards with grafted varieties have been established as commercial enterprises. Recreational activities include canoeing, kayaking and fishing. Typical fish species found in the river are

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, ...

, sunfish,

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

longnose gar The longnose gar (''Lepisosteus osseus''), also known as longnose garpike or billy gar, is a ray-finned fish in the family Lepisosteidae. The genus may have been present in North America for about 100 million years. References are made to gar ...

and various species of

bait fish 300px, Feeder Goldfish are common baitfish. Bait fish (or baitfish) are small-sized fish caught and used by anglers as bait to attract larger predatory fish, particularly game fish. Baitfish species are typically those that are common and bre ...

. However, many game fish and introduced species are found in the impoundments at Lake Georgetown and Granger Lake. The river runs through the Apache Pass Amphitheater and Festival Grounds near Thorndale, south of the town of San Gabriel. Apache Pass features a cantilevered stage that projects out over the river and is used for major concerts and other events. Image:4_July_2002_Floods_-_Blue_Hole_Park,_Georgetown,_TX.JPG, South Fork San Gabriel spilling over the dam at Blue Hole Park, 4 July 2002 Image:N Austin Ave Bridge at 15-foot flood stage.JPG, N. Austin Avenue bridge with river at 15 feet. 25-foot high-water mark is from November 2001 flooding. Image:Flood_damage,_tree_in_Blue_Hole_Park,_Georgetown,_TX_Nov_2001.jpg, Flood damage in Blue Hole Park Nov 2001

External links

*
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

U.S. Geological Survey

City of Georgetown, Texas Parks & Recreation

Visit Georgetown - Official Website
{{authority control Rivers of Texas Brazos River Rivers of Williamson County, Texas Rivers of Burnet County, Texas

See also

External links