Editing Neches River

{{Short description|River in East Texas}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox river
| name              = Neches River
| image             = File:Neches River, Orange County, Texas, USA (October 2016).jpg
| image_caption     = Neches River, looking into the Big Thicket National Preserve from Orange County, Texas, USA (October 2016)
| map               = Neches Watershed.png
| map_alt           = 
| map_caption       = Map of the Neches River and associated watershed
| native_name       ={{native name|cad|Nachawi}}
| name_other        = ''Río de las Neches''
| source1_location  = East of [[Colfax, Texas]]<ref name = "tshaonline">{{cite web|title=Neches River|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rnn04|publisher=Texas History Online|access-date=October 23, 2015}}</ref>
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|32|30|N|95|45|W|region:US-TX}}
| source1_coord_ref =<ref name = "tshaonline" />
| mouth_location    = [[Sabine Lake]]<ref name = "tshaonline" />
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|29|58|08|N|93|51|21|W|display=inline,title}}
| progression       = 
| location          = 
| etymology         = 
| length            = {{convert|416|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref name = "tshaonline" />
| source1_elevation = 
| mouth_elevation   = 
| discharge1_avg    = 
| basin_size        = {{convert|10011|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name = "tshaonline" />
| river_system      = 
| tributaries_left  = Flat Creek<br>[[Village Creek (Texas)|Village Creek]]<br>[[Pine Island Bayou]]<ref name = "tshaonline" />
| tributaries_right = Bayou La Nana<br>[[Ayish Bayou]]<br>[[Angelina River]]<ref name = "tshaonline" />
| waterbodies       = Rhine Lake<br>[[Lake Palestine]]<br>[[Steinhagen Reservoir]]<ref name = "tshaonline" />
}}The '''Neches River''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|eɪ|tʃ|ᵻ|z}}) begins in [[Van Zandt County, Texas|Van Zandt County]] west of Rhine Lake<ref>{{cite web|title=An Analysis of Texas Waterways|url=https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/pwd_rp_t3200_1047/07_e_tx_neches.phtml|publisher=Texas Parks and Wildlife|access-date=October 7, 2015}}</ref> and flows for {{convert|416|mi|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 (Texas)|Rainbow Bridge]]. Two major reservoirs, [[Lake Palestine]] and [[Steinhagen Reservoir|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 (Texas)|Village Creek]] and [[Pine Island Bayou]], draining much of the [[Big Thicket]] region, both joining the Neches a few miles north of [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]]. Towns and cities located along the river including [[Tyler, Texas|Tyler]], [[Lufkin]], and [[Silsbee, Texas|Silsbee]], although significant portions of the Neches River are undeveloped and flow through protected natural lands.<ref name="MAPSCO">Phillips, Bob, (foreword). 2008. The Roads of Texas. MAPSCO Inc. Addison, Texas. 176 pp. {{ISBN|1-56966-421-8}}</ref> 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, Texas|Beaumont]], [[Vidor, Texas|Vidor]], [[Port Neches, Texas|Port Neches]], [[Nederland, Texas|Nederland]], [[Groves, Texas|Groves]], and [[Port Arthur, Texas|Port Arthur]].

==Etymology==
It is believed that the name of the river was derived from the [[Caddo language|Caddo]] word "Nachawi", meaning "wood of the bow", after Spanish settlers called it ''Río Neches''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sherrysharp.com/myhomepg/neches-history.htm#:~:text=The%20Neches%20River%20gained%20its,Indian%20population%20to%20its%20peak.|title = Neches River-History and Culture}}</ref>

==Untamed river==
[[File:Trees at Big Thicket National Preserve.jpg|thumb|left|Bald cypress (''[[Taxodium distichum]]''), Big Thicket National Preserve]]
With the exception of dams and manmade lakes, much of the river is in a natural state. Approximately 11 miles of the upper Neches flows through the [[Neches River National Wildlife Refuge]], established to protect the biologically diverse bottomland hardwood forest and habitat for [[migratory birds]], and opened to the public as recently as 2019.<ref>U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: [https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Neches_River/ Neches River National Wildlife Refuge]</ref> Downstream, the river delineates the eastern border of [[Davy Crockett National Forest]] including more than nine miles of the [[Big Slough Wilderness|Big Slough Wilderness Area]] of the National Forest.<ref name="Fritz (1993)">Fritz, Edward C. (1993) Realms of Beauty: A Guide to the Wilderness Areas of East Texas, revised edition. University of Texas Press, Austin. 120 pp. {{ISBN|0-292-72479-9}}</ref> Further downstream the Neches defines much of the southern border of [[Angelina National Forest]] including roughly four miles of the [[Upland Island Wilderness|Upland Island and Longleaf Pine Wilderness Area]] of Angelina National Forest.<ref name="Fritz (1993)" /> The Angelina Neches/Dam B Wildlife Management Area is situated at the confluence of the Neches and Angelina Rivers protecting 12,636 acres of the river's floodplain and bottomland, administered by the [[Texas Parks and Wildlife Department]] along with the adjacent [[Martin Dies Jr. State Park]] on the eastern side of Lake B. A. Steinhagen.<ref>Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: [https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/wma/find_a_wma/list/?id=27 Angelina Neches/Dam B Wildlife Management Area]</ref> South of the Lake, beginning at Town Bluff Dam and running 56 miles south to Beaumont, is the Neches River Corridor Unit of the [[Big Thicket National Preserve]], administered by the [[National Park Service]]. The Big Thicket National Preserve is recognized as a [[biosphere reserve]] by [[UNESCO]], preserving an area where several [[ecosystems]] converge. The Big Thicket Visitor Center is off [[U.S. Highway 69]] several miles north of [[Kountze]], Texas.

Beginning in 2006, the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] purchased land along the Neches River for the creation of the [[Neches River National Wildlife Refuge]]. The refuge includes land on which the city of [[Dallas]] had proposed to build a [[reservoir]] to meet the water needs of the city and its surrounding [[Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex|suburbs]]. Tentatively named Lake Fastrill, this reservoir was not scheduled to be built until 2050. The city of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board filed a lawsuit in 2007 against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming the wildlife refuge was established without considering the economic and environmental impacts.  However, in February 2010 the [[United States Supreme Court]] ruled in favor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, paving the way for the acquisition of lands for the wildlife refuge.

The [[Lower Neches Valley Authority]] is the river authority which oversees the Neches River in [[Tyler County, Texas|Tyler]], [[Hardin County, Texas|Hardin]], [[Liberty County, Texas|Liberty]], [[Chambers County, Texas|Chambers]], and [[Jefferson County, Texas|Jefferson]] counties of Texas.

==Industrialized river==
The lower forty miles of the river is industrialized, from the [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]] [[Interstate 10]] bridge to Sabine Lake.  The river is maintained as a deep water ship channel running between the [[Port of Beaumont]] to [[Sabine Lake]]. Currently 40 feet deep and 400&nbsp;ft wide, the river is being deepened to 48 feet. The total estimated cost of the [[Sabine-Neches Waterway]] project is $1.1 billion.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Dan Wallach|title=Senate approves Sabine-Neches Project|url=http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Senate-approves-Sabine-Neches-project-5498995.php#photo-6340701|publisher=[[Hearst Newspapers, LLC]]|access-date=October 7, 2015|date=May 22, 2014}}</ref>

Several petro-chemical plants are located in the river's southern section.  The '''Sabine-Neches Navigation District''', formed in 1909, has management responsibilities of the portion of the river which is part of the Sabine-Neches Waterway.<ref>{{cite web|title=SNND|url=http://www.navigationdistrict.org/about/snnd/|publisher=Sabine-Neches Navigation District|access-date=October 23, 2015}}</ref>

{{gallery
|title=Views of the industrialized portion
|width=150
|height=
|align=center
|File:RainbowBridge (Texas).jpg
  |alt1=Rainbow and Veteran's Memorial bridges near Sabine Lake
  |Rainbow and Veteran's Memorial bridges near river mouth
|File:Portbeaumont.JPG
  |alt2=Port of Beaumont
  |View of a portion of Port of Beaumont
|File:Beaumont February 16 030.JPG
  |alt3=Port of Beaumont looking toward wharfs 5,6,&7
  |Port of Beaumont looking toward wharfs 5,6,&7
|File:1st Air Cavalry Brigade Takes Birds to Port DVIDS159738.jpg
  |alt5=1st Air Cavalry Brigade Takes Birds to Port of Beaumont
  |1st Air Cavalry Brigade Takes Birds to Port of Beaumont
|File:OPERATION LIBERTY SHIELD DVIDS1073432.jpg
  |alt6=River view at one of the petro-chemical facilities
  |River view at one of the petro-chemical facilities
|File: NechesRiverBridge.jpg|The [[CPKC]], ex-[[KCS Railway]] bridge over the Neches River in Beaumont is a major transportation link for the region.
}}

==Points of interest==
* [[Lake Palestine]]
* [[Neches River National Wildlife Refuge]]
* [[Steinhagen Reservoir|B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir]]
* [[Big Thicket National Preserve]]
* The [[Port of Beaumont]] is located on the Neches River at Beaumont, Texas.  It begins near the mouth of the river and the [[Rainbow Bridge (Texas)|Rainbow Bridge]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portofbeaumont.com/news/corpston99.htm |title=Port of Beaumont - State of the Port 1997 |access-date=2011-01-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715105906/http://www.portofbeaumont.com/news/corpston99.htm |archive-date=2011-07-15 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Texas rivers]]
* [[USS Neches (AO-5)|USS ''Neches'' (AO-5)]] &mdash;  a [[Oiler (ship)|fleet oiler]] built in 1920.
* [[Sabine-Neches Waterway]]
* [[Lower Neches Valley Authority]]
* [[Neches, Texas]]
* [[Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Handbook of Texas|id=rnn04|name=Neches River}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071020050905/http://fun365days.com/ Fun365Days.com -- regional tourism web site]
*[http://setx.org/ Partnership of Southeast Texas -- regional economic development site]
*[http://www.nps.gov/bith/ Big Thicket National Preserve]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130719033411/http://www.lnva.dst.tx.us/ Lower Neches Valley Authority]
* [http://texashistory.unt.edu/search.tkl?q=neches+river&search=Search&fulltext_select=ON&format=&collection=&institution=&document_type=&date1=Anytime&date2=Anytime&type=form Historic photos of Army Corps of Engineers projects on the Neches River from 1910-20s]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060905001159/http://tides.sfasu.edu/AN18/A139B1F1.php?culture=2&chrono=5&index=0 Salt Lick Agreement, March 19, 1835] From [https://web.archive.org/web/20060822022222/http://tides.sfasu.edu/ Texas Tides]
* [https://www.anra.org/ Angelina & Neches River Authority]
* [http://www.unrmwa.org/ Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority]
{{Waters of Texas}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Neches River|*]]
[[Category:Rivers of Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Van Zandt County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Smith County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Henderson County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Cherokee County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Anderson County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Houston County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Angelina County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Trinity County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Polk County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Jasper County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Tyler County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Hardin County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Orange County, Texas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Jefferson County, Texas]]
[[Category:Beaumont, Texas]]
[[Category:Shipping channels]]
[[Category:Drainage basins of the Gulf of Mexico]]