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New Braunfels River Flow | Comal River Conditions, Levels, Rates, Flows, River Status Information
Click Here For Today's "Comal River Levels" or "Chart View".

This is Clemens Dam harnessing the Comal River flow, which is located adjacent to the New Braunfels Tube Chute - Texas Tubes

Comal River Conditions: Check today's Comal River Flow Here (If you have trouble reading the Flow Ratings Page, there are instructions below to help you read the Data much easier). Note: River flows vary (fluctuate) throughout the day as you can easily see in the "Chart View - Comal River Levels" showing the fluctuating flows! The Comal River water temperature averages 72 degrees year-round flowing out of Comal Springs in Landa Park, which is perfect for swimming and tubing!


Float Times: The Comal River is experiencing lower than normal water levels due to the ongoing drought in Central Texas. The average "Float Time" is taking between 3 1/2 to 4 hours. There may be a few slow spots during your float where you may need to paddle to move forward. (Float Times Updated 6/8/2024)


Before the ongoing sever drought in Central Texas, the average Comal River Flow was a little over 8 Million GPH (Gallons Per Hour) or an average of 306 cfs (cubic feet per second), which is considered a "recreational flow", intended for the general public (see the "Flow Ratings Chart for River Tubing" below). The Comal River flows directly out of Comal Springs, which is the source and headwaters of the Comal River. The Comal Springs network in New Braunfels is a "a large cluster of springs", that includes 9 main springs and hundreds of smaller springs, many located under Landa Lake in Landa Park, all of which create and feed the Comal River! Flow records for the Comal River have been kept for the last 91 years, however, river flows may vary daily depending on many factors, such as rainfall or drought, irrigation for crops, and private Well usage for homes located between Austin and San Antonio, all affect the daily levels of the Edwards Aquifer, which directly affects the spring flow coming out of The Comal Springs, and finally, Comal River flows and levels. You can check the daily Comal River flow from the Army Corps of Engineers Website at this link: Comal River Flows / USGS Website - U.S. Geological Survey.


Instructions - How To Read The USGS Flow Ratings Data Table Below:

To locate the river flow on the USGS Website, scroll halfway down the page and look for a Table (See Example Below), displaying the "Daily discharge, cubic feet per second"... and then you will see the "Most Recent Instantaneous Value" and today's "Month and Day", and the "cfs" in the adjoining data box below it (highlighted inside the "Red Circle" for this example) (also, the data field box with the "Most Recent Instantaneous Value" will have a slightly "off color" background, while all other data boxes will have a white background.) So according to the example Table below, on March 1, 2024, it shows that the Comal River Flow was at 168 cfs (cubic feet per second), and it also shows that on March 1, 1957, the lowest recorded river flow was 57.0 cfs, and on March 1, 1934, the highest recorded river flow was 527 cfs.

Comal River Flows / USGS Discharge from Comal Springs in CFS (cubic feet per second)
Chart View - Fluctuating Comal River Levels measured in CFS (cubic feet per second) flowing out of Comal Springs in Land Park in New Braunfels
River levels and flow ratings guide for River Tubing measured in
Any time it rains, runoff will cause the Comal River to rise and the flow rate to increase immediately, the more it rains, the faster the flow rate goes up. The approximate 8 million "gph" coming out of the Comal Springs remains fairly constant all year round, except during drought years or extra wet years with above average rainfall, either occurrence can reduce or increase the amount of spring-fed water coming out of the Comal Springs via the Edwards Aquifer. River Flows from 100 cfs to 499 cfs are considered "Recreational Flows", intended for the General Public. Any body of water can be unsafe at any level. Use caution and judgment at all times. Common activities on the Comal River include Tubing, Swimming, Paddle boarding, Canoeing, Kayaking, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, and Fishing. You'll notice that "Rafting" was not included as most rafts will not fit through the first two Tube Chutes on the Comal River, making it necessary to carry each raft around each Tube Chute, Clemens Dam, and Stinky Falls, which would make rafting a lot of work and not very much fun. You can view the New Braunfels River Rules & Can Ban info at this Link: "2021 Comal River Rules"

Comal River Water Quality Safety Monitoring Program / City of New Braunfels
The City of New Braunfels oversees a bacteria monitoring program on the Comal River to monitor bacteria levels in the Comal River watershed throughout the year and especially after any rainfall to make sure the Comal River is safe for water recreation at all times. If at any time the City of New Braunfels finds that the water quality of the Comal River has been compromised and is not safe for water recreation, it will immediately close the Comal River until it is safe to enter the river again. It should be noted that the spring water coming out of the Comal Springs in Landa Park is very clean, and while we don't recommend anyone to drink directly from Comal Springs, there are individuals who fill water jugs to take home for their drinking water on a regular basis. One of the primary concerns of the Comal River bacteria monitoring program is to test the run-off after any rainfall to determine if anything harmful has drained into the Comal River. This is an excellent program that constantly checks to make sure everyone stays safe while enjoying the Comal River! 

The Comal River can become quite muddy looking from run-off caused by heavy rains... the more rain there is, the more run-off there is. Once it stops raining, it can take from 24 hours to 36 hours for the constant 8 million gallons per hour of crystal clear, clean and sparkling spring-water flowing out of the Comal Springs to purge the Comal River of all the muddy run-off water!

Floating Aquatic Vegetation In The Comal River: Occasionally, large clusters of floating aquatic vegetation can be seen floating past Texas Tubes generating a lot of questions about "what is that stuff, where does it come from, and is it safe"? The New Braunfels Parks and Recreation Dept. informed Texas Tubes that the aquatic vegetation that grows naturally in Landa Lake (upriver from Texas Tubes) and in the Comal River, breaks off naturally as part of the life cycle of the aquatic vegetation and then randomly floats down river in various size clusters. The NB Parks and Recreation Dept. also said there is a dam up near the Wursfest Fair Grounds that temporarily blocks the aquatic vegetation behind the dam, causing a huge build-up of aquatic vegetation until the vegetation reaches a certain build-up point, then it breaks loose and floats down the Comal River in various size clusters. On average, it usually takes a few hours for most of the vegetation to float past Texas Tubes and clear up. The aquatic vegetation is harmless... we've seen people engage in seaweed fights similar to a snowball fight, but throwing aquatic vegetation instead of snowballs... it appeared they were having a lot of fun! Bottom line, it's the natural cycle of the aquatic vegetation growing in Landa Lake and the Comal River to naturally break off and float down river to the Wursfest dam, building up over time, then randomly breaking loose from the dam and floating down river in clusters past Texas Tubes, sometimes in really large quantities for several hours.

The Comal Springs are the largest springs in Texas and in the American southwest. Seven major springs and dozens of smaller ones occur over a distance of about 4,300 feet at the base of a steep limestone bluff in New Braunfels at Landa Park, which is only about a mile from Texas Tubes. Comal Springs and the Comal River are home to a federally endangered species of fish, called the Fountain Darter, which very few people have ever seen. In Spanish, the word "comal" is a flat griddle used for cooking tortillas, so the name probably refers to the flat area below the bluff where the springs flow out of the ground from the Edwards Aquifer.
 
The Comal River is the shortest river in Texas, and possibly the shortest river in the world... you can check it out in the Guinness Book of World Records. The Comal River is approximately 2.5 miles in length, the river begins and ends near downtown New Braunfels. The source of the Comal River begins from the Comal Springs, which consists of many small springs located in and around Landa Park and Landa Lake. The multiple springs that make up Comal Springs, form the Comal River, which eventually joins the Guadalupe River in the heart of downtown New Braunfels. The Comal River is very popular for tubing and swimming. The Comal River features one of the largest collections of springs in Texas with an approximate 8 million gallons of water consistently flowing out of the springs every hour. The water in the Comal River is pure and sparkling clear and better yet, the Comal River temperature averages around 72 degrees (approximately 22 degrees Celsius) all year round. Many local residents swim in the Comal River year round because of the relatively constant temperature of 72 degrees, which is perfect for river tubing and swimming! Click for some Comal River Trivia: Comal Trivia
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