Dickinson Bayou

Dickinson Bayou
Origin	Alvin Texas
Mouth	San Leon Texas
Basin countries	United States
Length	Over 20 Miles
Source elevation	0
Mouth elevation	0

Dickinson Bayou is a river in Texas.

Dickinson Bayou is located in southeast Texas in the San Jacinto-Brazos Coastal Basin. Dickinson Bayou rises two miles northeast of Alvin in northwestern Galveston County (at 29°29' N, 95°14' W) and flows east for over twenty miles to its mouth on Dickinson Bay and Galveston Bay, just south of San Leon and a mile east of the Southern Pacific Railroad (at 29°28' N, 94°57' W). It traverses flat to rolling prairie surfaced by dark, commonly calcareous clays that support mesquite, grasses, and cacti. In the lower reaches of the bayou the soil changes to sandy and clay loams that support scrub brush, hardwoods, and pines. Major named tributaries that flow to Dickinson Bayou include Gum Bayou, Benson Bayou, Magnolia (Geisler) Bayou, Bordens Gully, Cedar Creek, and LaFlore’s Bayou.

Dickinson Bayou is on the state’s list of water bodies not meeting water quality standards for dissolved oxygen (DO) and bacteria levels. As a result, the bayou does not meet its aquatic life use nor its contact recreation use, creating a possible environmental and/ or public health concern.

Residents of Dickinson still take the time and the slight risk to enjoy many of the bayou's activities. Those who do so engage in fishing, canoeing, water skiing, swimming, and sight seeing. The bayou is a hidden fishing gem during certain times. In drought conditions the water becomes saltier and produces many smaller saltwater fish not usually seen in brackish water. These include Ladyfish, Redfish, Croaker, Piggy-perch, and an occasional Speckled Trout. In the winter months, flounder even make an appearance in the section of the bayou closest to the bay. Spring brings out small largemouth bass in the marshes of the back sections. Many people enjoy launching their boats at the Highway 3 boat dock and going towards the bay to water ski, tube, and wake board. People also swim, mainly in the main bayou; the tributaries are not preferred for that activity. The tall pines and woody shores give canoeists and kayakers a perfect body of water to paddle. The bayou is a nice trip for anyone wanting to get out and paddle. The bayou plays host to the Festival of Lights every Christmas at Paul Hopkins Park. This proves perfect as the nearly 1 million lights reflect from the bayou's murky waters.

Many people enjoy many things in this overlooked bayou. There is something for everyone in lovely Dickinson Bayou.

See also

• List of rivers of Texas

References

• "An Analysis of Texas Waterways". http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/pwd_rp_t3200_1047/index.phtml. Retrieved 2006-05-04. 
• USGS Geographic Names Information Service
• USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas (1974)