WATCH: Runoff Transforms Bone-dry N. Concho River Into Oasis in State Park

 

SAN ANGELO – The N. Concho River in the San Angelo State Park has been essentially dry for several months following withering dry drought and heat for the last two years. Two recent rain events and a solar construction project contributed to filling up some of the dry holes along the river in recent days.  

According to statistics from the National Weather Service, the San Angelo Area received .96 inches of rain Friday in addition to 2.01 inches in the last big rain event the previous Friday on May 12.  That rainfall was enough to create runoff in draws and creeks that feed the N. Concho at the River Bend Park area in the San Angelo State Park.  

On Oct. 1, 2022, the N. Concho River at River Bend Park was dry.  Sunday, it was full thanks to the runoff.  Watch the before and after video below: 

While the stretch of the N. Concho River at River Bend Park is full and water is trickling downstream, it is short lived and isolated to that half mile stretch of the river.  

There is no runoff making its way into O.C. Fisher Reservoir, and the river is not running at the north end of the State Park at the Equestrian entrance where FM-2288 crosses the N. Concho River which used to be called Dry Creek Park.  

One possibility is that the new Solar Farm under construction along FM-2288 has cleared hundreds of acres of pasture which seems to have contributed to runoff in draws along FM-2288 which then run into the N. Concho between the Equestrian entrance and River Bend.  

There was not enough runoff though to fill all the dry water holes along the N. Concho to O.C. Fisher.  

But for now at least part of the N. Concho River has water in it and all the is needed is a little more rain.  

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AR15, Mon, 05/22/2023 - 12:53

The Middle Concho River experienced two significant runoff events on May 20 as the North Concho River remains merely puddles along an intermittent stream.

 The Middle Concho runoff events peaked at 0600 and then again at 2200 hours on 5/20. Peak flows for both were around 2000 CFS. This is equivalent to a 6 foot rise at FM 853 road crossing  .  This runoff has added 1500 acre feet to Twin Buttes North pool.  

1500 acre feet is 10% of San Angelo’s yearly municipal water supply.   

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