Texas Whitewater Additions


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Texas Whitewater, revised editiono

by Steve Daniel

Originally published in 1999 by Texas A&M University Press, now available in an updated and expanded version. Over 260 pages, covering more than 100 whitewater streams (most never described before), 84 maps, 118 photos (51 new). Twenty-three new streams, eight new segments on previously listed streams. The first book devoted entirely to whitewater in the Lone Star state. In-depth information on needed waterflow levels and legal issues concerning access.

More than 7000 copies sold! Now in a new, expanded edition.

To see the new edition's Table of Contents, click here.

"This is an awesome hunk of information on paddling whitewater in Texas. It will become not just a resource, but a 'bible' for paddlers and for those coming to visit and explore this beautiful state. It is also humorous and entertainingly written. I personally found it extremely enjoyable to read."--Carolyn Peterson

o Order the new edition of Texas Whitewater from Amazon.com for $10.46, a 30% discount (just click here)

Order Texas Whitewater directly from Texas A&M University Press (just click here)

This list of additions is intended to keep your copy of Texas Whitewater up-to-date. If you discover other things that need to be added or modified, please let me know so that I can include them in this list.

Page in book Location on page Additions
xv photo The rapid in the photo is Chupacabra, not the third drop of Shuv-it.
82 second paragraph Water normally flows out of Lake Buchanan into Inks Lake downstream from the bottom of the main part of the dam near the hydro plant. When the lake level is high, water is released through three floodgate sections. The seven-gate section is just north and east of the main dam and hydro plant. East of that section is another section containing fourteen gates, and east of that section is one with sixteen gates. Even farther to the east is the lake spillway. In order to avoid having water go over the spillway, the LCRA opens the gates one at a time, starting with a gate in either the 14- or 16-gate section, and alternating up to four gates. If a fifth gate is needed (which is very rare, perhaps every 25 years or so), they open it in the 7-gate section. However, if the lakes downstream are very high (due to flooding from the Llano or Pedernales), the LCRA does not open any gates, in which case the lake can overflow into the spillway.

Behind the 7-gate section of the dam is a steep rock slide onto a 50-foot granite formation that dumps into the lake behind the dam near the hydro plant: this slide has no paddling potential. For whitewater boaters, though, there are two other runs behind the dam that are of interest. Both are definitely class III-IV with several class V or VI spots thrown in depending on how many gates are open. The first run is The Steeps, a quarter mile of "hair, teeth, and eyeballs" below the 14-gate section. Even with one gate open, it is full of big waves, pourovers, and terminal holes. With three gates open, it is pure gnar. To access this run, put in on Inks Lake at the restaurant underneath the SH 27 bridge on river right (the "Catfish Barge") and paddle up to the peninsula on the east (river left) of the dam's nomal outflow.

Below the 16-gate section is a half-mile run that is not quite as hairy as The Steeps, but depending on how many gates are open, it is still a place where a swim would be dangerous. This stretch is usually called the spillway run because the spillway meets this channel just a few hundred yards downstream from the dam. Water does not have to be going over the spillway in order for this stretch to be runnable, since any release from the 16-gate section of the dam flows into the channel. This run goes under a different Hwy 27 bridge and enters Inks Lake downstream from the Catfish Barge.

Most boaters take advantage of both runs by first doing The Steeps and then the spillway. You can get to the top of the spillway run by carrying your boat up along the east bank of The Steeps to a channel that comes in from the 16-gate section of the dam that dumps most of its water into the spillway section.

92 bottom, insert new stream:
Johnson Creek
The LCRA has added a gauge on Johnson Creek, another of the Llano's feeder creeks. Just west of the city of Llano, the creek drops 20'/mi in the four miles from SH 29 down to the river, with the most gradient (27'/mi) in the mile just below the bridge that crosses the creek about midway in the run. The takeout is on the Llano just downstream from where Johnson Creek comes in, at Llano City Park.
185 paragraph 1 The URL should be simply hydromet.lcra.org. Once you get there, click on the map to get a close-up on the gauge sites and then hit stage/flow.
186 Bandera County listing The wrapping for the list got messed up. Note that the lines for the two prongs of the Medina should wrap under their entries.
187 Kimble County listing Another wrap problem: Johnson Fork, Llano River.
188 Mills County listing Another wrap problem: Colorado River near Bend.
188 San Saba County listing Another wrap problem: Colorado River near Bend.
188 Travis County listing Another wrap problem: Colorado River: Longhorn and Tom Miller Dams.
193 Devils River "Devils River near Comstock" should have wrapped; adjust the rows accordingly.

Last updated on December 2, 2004.

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