Neches River
| Neches River Río de las Neches | |
|---|---|
Neches River, looking into the Big Thicket National Preserve from Orange County, Texas, USA (October 2016) | |
Map of the Neches River and associated watershed | |
| Native name | Nachawi (Caddo) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | East of Colfax, Texas |
| • coordinates | 32°30′N 95°45′W / 32.500°N 95.750°W |
| Mouth | |
• location | Sabine Lake |
• coordinates | 29°58′08″N 93°51′21″W / 29.96889°N 93.85583°W |
| Length | 416 mi (669 km) |
| Basin size | 10,011 sq mi (25,930 km2) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Flat Creek Village Creek Pine Island Bayou |
| • right | Bayou La Nana Ayish Bayou Angelina River |
| Waterbodies | Rhine Lake Lake Palestine Steinhagen Reservoir |
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The Neches River (/ˈneɪtʃɪz/) begins in Van Zandt County west of Rhine Lake and flows for 416 miles (669 km) through the piney woods of east Texas, defining the boundaries of 14 counties on its way to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir are located on the Neches. The Angelina River (containing Sam Rayburn Reservoir) is a major tributary with its confluence at the north of Lake B. A. Steinhagen. Tributaries to the south include Village Creek and Pine Island Bayou, draining much of the Big Thicket region, both joining the Neches a few miles north of Beaumont. Towns and cities located along the river including Tyler, Lufkin, and Silsbee, although significant portions of the Neches River are undeveloped and flow through protected natural lands. In contrast, the lower 40 miles of the river are a major shipping channel, highly industrialized, with a number of cities and towns concentrated in the area including Beaumont, Vidor, Port Neches, Nederland, Groves, and Port Arthur.