Yegua Creek is a river in
Central Texas
Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas roughly bordered on the west by San Saba, to the southeast by Bryan- College Station, the south by San Marcos and to the north by Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part ...
and is part of the
Brazos River
The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
. (Yegua is the Spanish word for mare.) Yegua Creek forms in
Lee County at the confluence of the Middle Yegua Creek and East Yegua Creek about three miles west of
Somerville Lake. It is the primary tributary to form Somerville Lake. The Yegua flows east and becomes part of the
Burleson County line for about 31 miles and then joins the
Brazos River
The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...
in southeastern
Washington County. The Yegua below the
Somerville Dam is a slow-moving, gentle river but is nevertheless used for some mild recreational
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian.
A few of the recreational ...
and
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
.
The Yegua, or one of its tributaries, is dammed in several places to form a series of small lakes including Wilkins, Ward, Baker, Edwards, Gerland, Draeger, Field, Mueller, C and H, Lamb, Newman, Robbins, and Butler lakes. The Yegua runs through flat terrain and supports water-tolerant hardwoods, conifers and grasses on clay loam and sandy loam soils. Since the construction of the
Somerville Dam in 1967, there has been some concern about the mobility of sediment in the Yegua watershed; however, recent discoveries indicate the river has achieved a degree of equilibrium in sediment dynamics — naturally adjusting to the accumulation of 99.8% of the upper Yegua sediment being trapped by the Somerville dam.
Yegua Creek has been identified as the stream
Alonso de León named the San Francisco in 1690.
East Yegua Creek
East Yegua Creek forms about nine miles southwest of
Rockdale, Texas in southern
Milam County as a drainage in farm and ranch territory. The East Yegua is intermittent and very shallow in its upper reaches, commonly flowing with significant volume only after rainfall. It runs southeast for about 45 miles to its mouth where it joins the Middle Yegua to become the Yegua Creek at the
Burleson County-
Lee County line, about 15 miles south of
Caldwell. The East Yegua runs through generally flat terrain with shallow depressions, clay and sandy loam soils which support water-tolerant hardwood trees, conifers and grasses.
Alcoa Lake
Alcoa Lake is the result of the impoundment of Sandy Creek, seven miles southwest of
Rockdale in
Milam County. At the base of the dam, Sandy Creek joins the East Yegua Creek. Alcoa Lake is owned and operated by the
Aluminum Company of America for industrial purposes at the site, and in recent years for recreational use. Construction of the lake was begun in February, 1952 with the dam and spillway completed in October, 1952. In 1966 the lake had a capacity of 10,500 acre-feet and surface area of 703 acres at the top of the spillway gates. The water was used by the company for condenser-cooling purposes at a steam-electric generating station. The Alcoa plant closed in 2009.
Middle Yegua Creek
Middle Yegua Creek, also called Second Yegua Creek, forms five miles southeast of
Coupland in southeastern
Williamson County near the
Lee County line. The stream is intermittent and very shallow in its upper reaches and flows southeast for 53 miles, through Williamson and Lee counties, until it joins the East Yegua Creek about five miles southeast of
Dime Box, Texas in Lee County. At the confluence of the two creeks, the Yegua Creek is formed, about three miles west of
Somerville Lake. The Middle Yegua has been dammed in four places to form small lakes — Round, Shaw, Little and Mourn. The banks of the Middle Yegua are wooded with post oak and other hardwoods. The creek flows through flat terrain with clay and sandy loam surface soils.
["Middle Yegua Creek." Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rbm78]
See also
*
List of rivers of 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 ...
*
Yegua, Texas
References
*
*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas (1974)
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Rivers of Texas
Brazos River
Rivers of Lee County, Texas
Rivers of Burleson County, Texas
Rivers of Washington County, Texas