Comal River

The Comal River (/ˈkoʊmæl/ KOH-mal) is the shortest navigable river in the state of Texas in the United States. Proclaimed the "longest shortest river in the world" by locals, it runs entirely within the city limits of New Braunfels in southeast Comal County. It is a tributary of the Guadalupe River. The Comal begins at Comal Springs in Landa Park and flows 2.5 miles (4.0 km) until its junction with the Guadalupe.

Comal River
The Comal River in New Braunfels
Location of the Comal River
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Physical characteristics
Source	Comal Springs
• location	New Braunfels, Comal County
• coordinates	29°42′46.62″N 98°8′15″W
• elevation	645 ft (197 m)[1]
Mouth	Guadalupe River
• location	New Braunfels, Comal County
• coordinates	29°42′16″N 98°6′50″W
• elevation	600 ft (180 m)[1]
Length	2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Basin size	130 sq mi (340 km2)
Discharge
• average	312 cu ft/s (8.8 m3/s)

The Comal was originally called the Little Guadalupe in early Spanish accounts. After Spaniard Pedro de Rivera y Villalón identified the longer river as the Guadalupe in 1727, the Comal was given its current name. The name means "basin" or "flat dish" in Spanish.

Historically, the Comal was used to power watermills and cotton gins by early German settlers,^[2] and later to provide hydroelectric power. The river is primarily used for water recreation today, being the location of the original Schlitterbahn water amusement park. The water is administered by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. The river is also one of only two rivers to contain the fountain darter (Etheostoma fonticola), a fish now in danger of extinction, with the other being the nearby San Marcos River.

Recreation

Mild currents, clear water, and a host of lost items left behind by tubers make the river a common locale for scuba diving.^[3] Because the Comal maintains a temperature around 72 °F (22 °C) year round,^[4] divers are present in both the summer and the winter. Thousands of people tube down the Comal River in the spring and summer.^[5] Tubing on the Comal provides a less intense alternative to tubing on the nearby Guadalupe River, where one may encounter frequent rapids and boulders to paddle around.^[4] The Schlitterbahn Water Park is built on a 70-acre (280,000 m²) tract adjacent to the river.^[6]

See also

• List of rivers of Texas