Trinity River

Length: 510 miles (821 kilometers)

Rises in northeast Texas in 3 forks: the Clear Fork runs into the West Fork at Fort Worth, and the Elm Fork joins the West Fork to form the main stream at Dallas. The Trinity then flows SE to Trinity Bay, an arm of Galveston Bay of Gulf of Mexico. West Fork of the Trinity rises in S Archer Co., N Texas; flows generally SE c.140 mi/225 km through Fort Worth to its confluence with Elm Fork in Dallas. Reservoirs are L. Bridgeport, 15 mi/24 km W of Decatur, and Eagle Mt. L. and L. Worth, both NW of Fort Worth. Clear Fork of the Trinity rises in N Parker co., N Texas; flows c.50 mi/80 km, first SE through L. Weatherford, then NE through L. Benbrook, joining W Fork in downtown Fort Worth. Elm Fork of the Trinity rises in E Montague co., N Texas; flows E past Gainesville, then S through L. Ray Roberts and Lewisville L., merging with W Fork, W of downtown Dallas to form main Trinity R. East Fork of the Trinity rises in S Grayson co., NE Texas; flows S through lakes Lavon and Ray Hubbard; joins Trinity R. 25 mi/40 km SE of downtown Dallas. Despite numerous reservoirs on its upper forks and lower tributaries, the main Trinity R. itself has only one impoundment, the large L. Livingston reservoir, 60 mi/97 km NNE of Houston. Massive flooding of the river occurred in the winter of 1991, recorded as among the nation’s worst floods in the 20th cent.