Cow Bayou is a
bayou
In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
in
Orange County and
Japser County in the U.S. state of
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 ...
. It was formed by the Gum Slough and Dognash Gully. The bayou runs through the cities of
Buna,
Mauriceville Vidor, and
Bridge City. There are 3 tributaries of the Cow Bayou, which includes Cole Creek, Terry Gully, and Coon Bayou.
History
In the early 1910s, the bayou was formed by rice farmers. Since rice production skyrocketed over there, By 1911 almost all farmers in Orange County were using the bayou. In 1940 the Cow Bayou Swing Bridge was created, the bridge was the last major component constructed along
Texas State Highway 87
State Highway 87 (SH 87) runs for between Galveston, Texas (at a terminus shared with Interstate 45 and Spur 342) to U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 84 in Timpson, Texas.
Highway 87 has a notable stretch between Sea Rim State Park and ...
. The bridge is 806 feet long and has 2 lanes. In 1963
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
improved the bayou by constructing a channel 100 feet wide and thirteen feet deep for 7.7 miles from its mouth to
Orangefield. It wasn't till 1967 when the project came into effect since
oil well
An oil well is a drillhole boring in Earth that is designed to bring petroleum oil hydrocarbons to the surface. Usually some natural gas is released as associated petroleum gas along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce only gas m ...
s were blocking the construction plan.
Fleash-eating bacteria was found in September 17, 2022, when a resident went into the water. This is the first case of flesh eating bacteria in Orange County. Officials have been warning residents about the flesh eating bacteria since the attack.
Wildlife
Marine mammals:
*
West Indian manatee
The West Indian manatee (''Trichechus manatus''), also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the Eastern United States to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it ...
(very common)
*
Bottlenose dolphin
The bottlenose dolphin is a toothed whale in the genus ''Tursiops''. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus contains three species: the common bot ...
(common))
*
Bull shark
The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...
(common)
*
Hammerhead shark
The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that form the family Sphyrnidae, named for the unusual and distinctive form of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a Hammerhead shark#Cephalofoil, cephalofoil (a T-shape or " ...
(very rarely)
*
Blacktip shark
The blacktip shark (''Carcharhinus limbatus'') is a species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae. It is common to coastal tropical and subtropical waters around the world, including brackish habitats. Genetic analyses have ...
(common)
*
American alligator (very rare)
Smaller fish species:
File:Golden topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus) Mississippi (August 2014).jpg, Golden topminnow, ''Fundulus chrysotus'', Mississippi
File:Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula), Brazos River system, Texas (Nov. 2004).jpg, Alligator gar, ''Atractosteus spatula'', Brazos River system
Big fish species:
See also
*
List of rivers in Texas
The list of rivers of Texas is a list of all named waterways, including rivers and streams that partially pass through or are entirely located within the U.S. state of Texas. Across the state, there are 3,700 named streams and 15 major rivers ac ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cow Bayou
Rivers of Texas
Drainage basins of the Gulf of Mexico
Borders of Texas
Rivers of Orange County, Texas
Rivers of Jasper County, Texas
Wetlands of Texas