Devils River (Texas)

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Map of the Devils River and associated watershed

The Devils River is a pristine, whitewater river in southwestern Texas, USA. From its headwaters (30°20' N, 100°57' W) in northwest Sutton County, it flows southwest for 94 miles through Val Verde County and empties into the northeastern shore (29°28' N, 101°04' W) of the Amistad Reservoir in Del Rio, Texas on the Texas/Mexico border.

The Devils River is one of the least spoilt rivers in the United States due to several factors, including its remote location in a hostile environment which inhibits pollution from human and animal populations and due to its path underground for part of its journey. As it passes underground, the gravel, sand and limestone scrub it clean before it re-emerges some twenty miles later. It is one of the cleanest water sources in the world for this reason.

Although it is a popular kayaking and canoeing venue, it is difficult to traverse because the majority of the river is bounded by private property. Luckily much of the river is protected through conservation easements on both sides of the river. The nature conservancy is working to protect this river through the Devils River Project. As of now the project has protected 87,000 acres along the river. Along with the Devil's River State Park the protected land along the river totals 110,000 acres.