Albion River
| Albion River | |
|---|---|
 Albion River at Bridge City | |
| File:Albionrivermap.png Map of the Albion River watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | Ibica |
| State | Albion, Petra |
| Cities | Port Arthur, Bridge City, Fayetteville, Driver, Deer Valley |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Bay of Albion |
| Length | 432 mi (695 km) |
| Basin size | 9,850 sq mi (25,500 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| - location | near Riverside, AL |
| - average | 11,720 cu ft/s (332 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Quin River, Smith River, Helveston River |
| - right | Charles River, Rains River, Lark River |
The Albion River is a major river in north central Ibica, forming most of the border between the states of Albion and Petra. The river is around 432 miles (695 km) long. The Albion has two major reserviors, Quin Lake and Lake Helveston.
While there are no major cities along the river, the largest being Driver, Albion at just over 30,000, the river is known for the colonial era forts that line the east bank of the river, a relic of the pre-expansion period of the Kingdom of Albion.
The Albion River is tidal at Port Arthur/Lufkin. Downstream from there, the river broadens into an estuary before flowing into the Bay of Albion.
History
The Albion River served as the frontier for the groups that would go on to form the Kingdom of Albion. At the height of the Kingdom, the river served as the western boundary of the "home counties" marking the begining of Albion's colonial possessions.
Being located in between the St. Clarke River, Mobile River, and Madison River, the Albion River lacks the development its sister rivers have seen, having no large cities along it. That though, has lead to the river being mostly rural and still has a natural character to it.
Natural history
The Albion River flows through mainly temperate forest ecosystems during its course. It is considered an alluvial river, draining a 10,577-square-mile (27,390 km2) drainage basin and carrying large amounts of sediment to the ocean. At its headwaters in the foothills of the Georgia Range, the climate is quite temperate. The river's tributaries receive a small amount of snow-melt runoff in the winter. The majority of the river's flow through the region is dominated by large reservoirs. Below the Fall Line, the river slows and is surrounded by large blackwater bald cypress swamps. Numerous oxbow lakes mark the locations of old river channels, which have shifted course because of earthquakes and silting.
Another prominent feature are the numerous large bluffs that line the river in some locations. The river becomes a large estuary at the coast, where fresh- and saltwater mix.
The river supports a large variety of native and introduced aquatic species:
- Upper section - yellow perch, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, white bass, bluegill, Ibican river otter, Ibican beaver, catfish
- Middle section - largemouth bass, crappie, striped bass, spotted bass, bluegill, redbreast sunfish, catfish, Albion eel, Ibican river otter, Ibican beaver, shortnose sturgeon, chain pickerel, bowfin, longnose gar, snapping turtles, Ibican alligator, water moccasin
- Lower section, estuary - largemouth bass, crappie, striped bass, spotted bass, bluegill, redbreast sunfish, catfish, Albion eel, Ibican river otter, Ibican beaver, shortnose sturgeon, Cortesian sturgeon, chain pickerel, bowfin, longnose gar, snapping turtles, Ibican alligator, snakes, red drum, flounder, spotted seatrout, bull shark, tarpon, common bottlenose dolphin, Albion manatee, diamondback terrapin
Through the building of several locks and dams in the first half of the 20th century (such as the Martin J. Lawson Lock and Dam, and upstream reservoirs like Lake Helveston, the Albion River was once navigable by freight barges between Kemah, Albion (on the Fall Line) and the Bay of Albion. Maintenance of this channel for commercial shipping ended in 1979, with the locks along the river only used by recreational traffic now.
Notable tributaries
Crossings
This is a list of crossings of the Albion River.
