San Bernard River facts for kids
The San Bernard River is a river in Texas. It flows for about 120 miles (193 km) from its start near New Ulm, Texas all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. This river is an important natural feature in the state.
The River's Journey
The San Bernard River begins from a spring near New Ulm, Texas. It then travels southeast for about 120 miles (193 km). Finally, it reaches its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico. Along its path, the river flows through parts of several counties. These include Austin, Brazoria, Colorado, Fort Bend, Matagorda, and Wharton counties.
A special place the river passes by is the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge helps protect one of the last groups of the critically endangered Attwater's prairie chicken. This bird is a type of grouse that lives on the coastal prairie.
The San Bernard River is one of only a few rivers in Texas that flows directly into the Gulf of Mexico. In 2005, the river's mouth was blocked. This made it drain into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway instead. Later, the blockage was fixed. However, soon after it was opened, the entrance filled with sand again. It remains blocked by sand today.
The River's Watershed
The San Bernard River's watershed covers a large area of land. A watershed is all the land where water drains into a specific river. This river's watershed drains about 1,850 square miles (4,800 square kilometers) of land. In 1990, about 87,000 people lived in this area.
Long ago, the Karankawa Indians lived in this region. The river flows near West Columbia, Texas. It also runs along one side of Camp Karankawa. This is a camping place used by the Boy Scouts of America. The watershed usually gets about 35 to 70 inches (89 to 178 cm) of rain each year.
