EAST PRONG OF THE NUECES RIVER

EAST PRONG OF THE NUECES RIVER. The East Prong of the Nueces River, a spring-fed stream that is intermittent in its upper reaches, rises in eastern Edwards County on the southern edge of the Edwards Plateau (at 30°04' N, 99°57' W) and descends from the plateau into the sharply dissected canyonlands of the Balcones Escarpment, running 14½ miles over a bed of limestone, gravel, and calcareous soil to its mouth on Hackberry Creek (at 29°56' N, 100°01' W). The surroundings, forested with open stands of live oak, mesquite, and Ashe juniper, are typical of the escarpment. The East Prong of the Nueces crosses into Real County immediately below its source, eventually crossing back into Edwards County and joining Hackberry Creek just west of the county line. This stream flows on to join the West Nueces River to the south in Uvalde County, west of the city of Uvalde.