KETR

An unnatural canyon in Northeast Texas

By • Jul 22, 2013
  • The steep cliffs of the North Sulphur's riverbed.
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    The steep cliffs of the North Sulphur's riverbed.
    Mark Haslett / KETR
  • For decades, trees have tumbled into the riverbed after erosion strips their soil.
    View Slideshow 2 of 9
    For decades, trees have tumbled into the riverbed after erosion strips their soil.
    Mark Haslett / KETR
  • With little downriver flow between rains, ponds in the riverbed can become stagnant.
    View Slideshow 3 of 9
    With little downriver flow between rains, ponds in the riverbed can become stagnant.
    Mark Haslett / KETR
  • A wall-like feature marks the entrance of a tributary into the North Sulphur.
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    A wall-like feature marks the entrance of a tributary into the North Sulphur.
    Mark Haslett / KETR
  • Silt and sands make up most of the riverbed's floor.
    View Slideshow 5 of 9
    Silt and sands make up most of the riverbed's floor.
    Mark Haslett / KETR
  • The view from inside the channel of a tributary of the North Sulphur as it approaches the riverbed.
    View Slideshow 6 of 9
    The view from inside the channel of a tributary of the North Sulphur as it approaches the riverbed.
    Mark Haslett / KETR
  • Sunflowers can be hardy enough to withstand the chronic erosion conditions along the North Sulphur.
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    Sunflowers can be hardy enough to withstand the chronic erosion conditions along the North Sulphur.
    Mark Haslett / KETR
  • The cool, wet weather that visited the region in mid-July left a little water in the mostly dry riverbed.
    View Slideshow 8 of 9
    The cool, wet weather that visited the region in mid-July left a little water in the mostly dry riverbed.
    Mark Haslett / KETR
  • Visitors, two distant figures at center, look for fossils in the North Sulphur riverbed. Erosion has exposed many fossils.
    View Slideshow 9 of 9
    Visitors, two distant figures at center, look for fossils in the North Sulphur riverbed. Erosion has exposed many fossils.
    Mark Haslett / KETR

Most Northeast Texas rivers meander through lush, dense vegetation. The North Sulphur is different.

After the river was channeled in the late 1920s, erosion began to widen and deepen the channel of the North Sulphur River. After decades, the cumulative effect is dramatic. The broad, dry riverbed looks more like something one would see in the Southwest instead of the South Central United States.

Tags: 
Tomorrow's Water Today
North Sulphur River
erosion
Lake Ralph Hall
Fannin County

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