Texas waterways include major rivers, vast reservoirs, Gulf beaches, coastal estuaries, and internationally important wetlands.
## Major rivers - **Rio Grande** — forms much of the Texas-Mexico border and is central to West and South Texas geography. - **Brazos River** — one of the state’s longest and most historically significant rivers. - **Colorado River of Texas** — flows through Austin to the Gulf. - **Trinity River** — major North Texas river running through the Dallas area to the coast. - **Red River** — forms much of the northern boundary with Oklahoma. - **Sabine River** — forms much of the boundary with Louisiana. - Other important rivers include the **Guadalupe, San Antonio, Nueces, Neches, Pecos, Frio, and San Marcos**.
## Lakes and reservoirs Texas has many reservoirs, important for water supply, recreation, and flood control. Well-known examples include: - **Lake Texoma** - **Lake Travis** - **Sam Rayburn Reservoir** - **Toledo Bend Reservoir** - **Canyon Lake** - **Possum Kingdom Lake** - **Lake Conroe** - **Richland-Chambers Reservoir** - **Caddo Lake** — unusual for its bayous and cypress wetlands.
## Coast and bays - Texas has a long **Gulf Coast** with beaches and barrier islands. - Major bays and estuaries include: - **Galveston Bay** - **Corpus Christi Bay** - **Matagorda Bay** - **San Antonio Bay** - **Aransas Bay** - **Laguna Madre** - Coastal areas support fishing, shipping, birding, shrimping, petrochemical activity, and tourism.
## Wetlands and springs - East Texas contains extensive wetland systems and bayous. - Central Texas is known for spring-fed waters such as **San Marcos Springs** and **Comal Springs**. - Wetlands are ecologically important but vulnerable to drought, development, and storm impacts.
## Water issues - Water management is a major Texas policy issue because of rapid population growth, drought cycles, groundwater use, interstate and international water sharing, and flood risk.
