The Blanco River is a river in the

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 Ameri ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States.

Course

The primary source for the river is a series of springs in northern Kendall County. The river flows generally eastward for through Kendall County, Blanco County and Hays County. Near San Marcos, it takes a southerly turn and joins with the

San Marcos River The San Marcos River rises from the San Marcos Springs, the location of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment (formerly Aquarena Springs), in San Marcos, Texas. The springs are home to several threatened or endangered species, inclu ...

. The river is generally quite shallow, and it briefly dips below ground in some areas in the Hill Country. As with many of the rivers in the Texas Hill Country, there is great variability in the Blanco River's flow. The mean flow is 93 ft³/s (3 m³/s), but heavy rains in the river's watershed can cause

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...

ing with little warning.

2015 flooding

In 1998, the Blanco River had peak flooding discharge of from a basin. Early in the morning on May 24, during the 2015 Texas–Oklahoma floods, the Blanco River experienced catastrophic flooding. The river at Wimberley rose more than 30 feet in less than three hours, setting a new record high crest of more than 40 feet while disabling the gauge. Rainfall totals of 10 to 13 inches were reported upstream in southern Blanco County, and all of this water entered the Blanco River and Little Blanco River. The Fischer Store Road bridge over the Blanco River west of Wimberley was destroyed by flood waters. The Blanco River, downstream from the bridge, at Wimberley reached a record crest. The gauge failed at 40 feet and the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

later estimated the crest at 44.9 feet with peak flow of . This height was more than 10 feet over the previous record height of 33.3 feet from 1929. Homes along the banks of the Blanco River from the City of Blanco, through Wimberley, and down to San Marcos experienced an historic flood. Many homes were totally destroyed and swept down stream. Many homes were struck by large debris, including full size cypress trees, which typically lined the banks of the river. A house in the 100 block of Deer Crossing Lane in Wimberley was washed away in the flood with nine people inside; one person survived while eight others died. Six bodies were recovered and the two small children remain missing. Several of the bodies were recovered near

San Marcos, Texas San Marcos () is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city is a part of the Greater Austin, Greater Austin Metropolitan Area. San Marcos's limits extend into Caldwell County, Texas, Caldwell and Guadalupe County, T ...

nearly 30 miles downstream. Ten fatalities were reported for this flooding event. The river experienced rises that exceeded 20 feet in one hour. Insured losses were estimated at around $100 million. Overall in Hays County, including Wimberley and San Marcos, 321 homes were destroyed, with hundreds more heavily damaged. During the May 24 event, the river crested at 36.52 ft at

Kyle, Texas Kyle is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. Its population grew from 28,016 in 2010 to 45,697 in 2020, making it one of Texas' fastest-growing cities. It is part of the Greater Austin area. History As part of railroad expansion alo ...

, which was (at the time) the highest the river had been since a 40.0 ft crest in 1929. Kyle is downstream of the Wimberley gauge. On October 30, 2015, the river flooded again. The river crested at 37.24 ft at Kyle, exceeding the gauge height of the May 24, 2015 crest, becoming the highest the river had been since a 40.0 ft crest in 1929. The Wimberley gauge had a crest of 26.54 ft on October 30, 2015. Flooding near San Marcos led to closure of the

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

bridge over the Blanco River for the second time in 2015.

Geography

The upper reaches of the Blanco River are hilly, and the river's slopes are frequently steep. As the river reaches the Balcones Escarpment near San Marcos, it widens and its slopes moderate; this is typical of rivers in the central part of the state.

Economy

The Blanco River provides

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

for the city of

Blanco Blanco (''white'' or ''blank'' in Spanish) or Los Blancos may refer to: People *Blanco (surname) Fictional characters *Blanco, a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth *Blanco Webb, character in the BBC sitcom ''Porridge'' *Graboid#El Blanco, ...

, as well as water supplies for nearby ranches. The river also supports a number of recreational areas, including the Blanco State Recreation Area in Blanco, the former

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...

camp El Rancho Cima near Wimberley, and other private parks and resorts.

References

External links