Caney Creek rises 1 mile south of
Matthews in
Colorado County "within the maze of irrigation canals, dead-water sloughs, and old stream channels" at the northern edge of
Wharton County. From there, Caney Creek flows southeast before discharging into the
Intracoastal Waterway a distance of southeast of Sargent. Thousands of years ago, the Colorado River flowed through the Caney Creek channel before diverting into its present course. In fact, Caney Creek merges with the Colorado River about above
Glen Flora and leaves the Colorado just below the town. The creek's wide meanders identify it as a very old stream. Caney Creek is intermittent until the
Matagorda County line when other streams empty into it, making it a continuously flowing waterway. The land along the stream is farmed for rice and cotton or used for cattle ranching. After passing through Wharton, Caney Creek runs east and southeast on the south side of
FM 1301. The stream runs through
Boling-Iago then goes south along FM 1301 to
Pledger. From there, Caney Creek flows in a southerly direction on the west side of FM 1728 and passes to the east of
Van Vleck. The creek runs south through
Allenhurst and passes east of
Caney. From there to its mouth, the stream follows
FM 457. Caney Creek flows southeast past
Cedar Lane where
Linnville Bayou joins it just below the
FM 521 bridge. The creek turns south and passes through
Hawkinsville and Sargent on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. It first intersects the
Intracoastal Waterway before emptying into the Gulf and
East Matagorda Bay. Caney Creek Tidal, Caney Creek above Tidal, San Bernard River, Linnville Bayou, Hardeman Slough, and Live Oak Bayou are streams within the Brazos-Colorado Coastal Basin. The
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Institute of Houston (part of
University of Houston–Clear Lake) maintain water quality monitoring stations on the Caney Creek and Linnville Bayou watersheds. ==Gallery==