List of tributaries of the Rio Grande

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in order from the mouth of the Rio Grande

Rio Grande

The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...

upstream. Major dams and reservoir lakes are also noted.

San Juan River
San Juan River (Tamaulipas)
The San Juan River is the largest and most important river in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. The river feeds the El Cuchillo Dam, which provides the city of Monterrey with water. The San Juan River basin has a total surface area of . The San Juan River is a contributor to the Rio Grande...

, or Rio San Juan (Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila)
- Marte R. Gómez Dam and Marte R. Gómez Reservoir (Tamaulipas)
- Pesquería River
  Pesquería River
  The Rio Pesquería, Río Pesquería, or Pesquería River, is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the San Juan River, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande.-References:...
  
  , or Río Pesquería (Nuevo León)
  - Salinas River, or Río Salinas (Nuevo León)

Rio Alamo
Rio Alamo
The Rio Alamo, or Río Álamo, is a stream in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and is a tributary of the Rio Grande. It is impounded by Las Blancas Dam, which was completed in 2001 and diverts water to the Marte Gómez Reservoir on the Rio San Juan, another tributary of the Rio Grande.The Rio Alamo...

, or Alamo River (Tamaulipas)
- Las Blancas Dam (Tamaulipas)
Falcon Dam
Falcon Dam
Falcon Dam is an earthen embankment dam on the Rio Grande between Starr County in the U.S. state of Texas and the city of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas...

and Falcon International Reservoir
Falcon International Reservoir
Falcon International Reservoir, commonly called Falcon Lake, is a reservoir on the Rio Grande 40 miles southeast of Laredo, Texas, USA, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The huge lake is bounded by Starr and Zapata counties on the Texas side of the international border and the municipality and...

(Tamaulipas and Texas)

Salado River
Salado River, Mexico
The Rio Salado, also known as Río Salado, Río Salado de los Nadadores, or Salado River, is a river in northern Mexico, a tributary of the Rio Grande . Its basin extends across the northern portion of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas states.It originates in the Sierra Madre Oriental in Coahuila...

, or Rio Salado (Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas)
- Sabinas Hidalgo River
  Sabinas Hidalgo River
  The Sabinas Hidalgo River is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the Rio Salado, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande.-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 ....
  
  (Nuevo León)
- Candela River
  Candela River
  The Candela River is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the Rio Salado, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande.-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 ....
  
  , Rio Candela (Nuevo León and Coahuila)
- Presa Venustiano Carranza (dam and reservoir) (Coahuila)
- Rio Nadadores (Coahuila)
  - Rio Monclova (Coahuila)
- Sabinas River
  Sabinas River (Coahuila)
  The Rio Sabinas, Río Sabinas, or Sabinas River, is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the Rio Salado, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande.-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 ....
  
  , or Rio Sabinas (Coahuila)
- Rio Alamos (Coahuila)

San Ildefonso Creek
San Ildefonso Creek
San Idelfonso Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed within east Laredo and runs southwest for 8 miles until connecting to the Rio Grande. San Ildefonso Creek was dammed in east Laredo to form San Ildefonso Creek Lake,...

(Texas)
Chacon Creek
Chacon Creek
Chacon Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed 6 miles from Webb, Texas and runs southwest for 20 miles until the creek connects to the Rio Grande. Chacon was dammed in 1951 in east Laredo to form Lake Casa Blanca, a 1,680...

(Texas)
- San Ygnacio Creek
  San Ygnacio Creek
  San Ygnacio Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed 11 miles northwest of Laredo, Texas and runs southwest for until the creek connects to the Lake Casa Blanca. The terrain surrounding the creek is mostly clay. The...
  
  (Texas)
Zacate Creek
Zacate Creek
Zacate Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed inside Laredo, Texas city limits and runs southwest for 10 miles until it connects to the Rio Grande. Zacate Creek has several ditches leading to it. The terrain surrounding...

(Texas)
Sombrerillito Creek
Sombrerillito Creek
Sombrerillito Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed 13 miles north of Laredo and runs southwest for 16 miles until connecting to the Rio Grande. Sombrerillito Creek was dammed in northwest Laredo to form Sombrerillito...

(Texas)
Santa Isabel Creek
Santa Isabel Creek
Santa Isabel Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed 32 miles from Callaghan, Texas and runs southwest for until the creek connects to the Rio Grande. The terrain surrounding the creek is mostly clay. The vegetation...

(Texas)

Rio Escondido
Rio Escondido (Coahuila)
The Rio Escondido is a stream in the state of Coahuila, Mexico, and is a tributary of the Rio Grande....

(Coahuila)
- Arroyo San Antonio, or Rio San Antonio (Coahuila)
Rio San Rodrigo
Rio San Rodrigo
The Rio San Rodrigo is a stream in the state of Coahuila, Mexico, and is a tributary of the Rio Grande.The Rio San Rodrigo enters the Rio Grande at Rio Grande river kilometer 834, at El Moral, Coahuila and about south of Quemado, Texas.The Rio San Rodrigo originates in the Sierra Madre Oriental...

(Coahuila)
- La Fragua Dam and La Fragua Reservoir (Coahuila)
Rio San Diego (Coahuila and Nuevo León)
Pinto Creek (Texas)
San Felipe Creek (Texas)
Arroyo de las Vacas (Coahuila)
Arroyo de los Jaboncillos (Coahuila)
Amistad Dam
Amistad Dam
Amistad Dam is a large dam across the Rio Grande on the United States-Mexico border. It serves to store water for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity. The dam was first proposed in a 1944 treaty between the United States and Mexico. Construction began in 1963 and was finished in 1969, with the...

and Amistad Reservoir
Amistad Reservoir
Amistad Reservoir is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River 12 miles northwest of Del Rio, Texas, USA. The lake is bounded by Val Verde County on the Texas side of the international border, and the state of Coahuila on the Mexican side of the border...

(Texas and Coahuila)
Devils River
Devils River (Texas)
The Devils River is a pristine, whitewater river in southwestern Texas, USA. It begins in northwest Sutton County, at , where six watercourses come together, Dry Devils River, Granger Draw, House Draw, Jackson, Flat Rock Draw, and Rough Canyon...

(Texas)

Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...

(Texas and New Mexico)
- Red Bluff Dam
  Red Bluff Dam
  Red Bluff Dam is a dam in the Pecos River, situated about 40 miles north of Pecos, Texas....
  
  and Red Bluff Reservoir
  Red Bluff Reservoir
  Red Bluff Reservoir is a reservoir on the Pecos River 40 miles north of Pecos, Texas, USA. The reservoir extends into Loving and Reeves counties in Texas, and Eddy County in New Mexico. The northern shoreline of the reservoir is the lowest point in the state of New Mexico...
  
  (Texas and New Mexico)
- Delaware River
  Delaware River (Texas)
  -References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...
  
  (Texas and New Mexico)
- Black River (New Mexico)
- Rio Penasco (New Mexico)
- Rio Felix (New Mexico)
- Rio Hondo
  Rio Hondo (Southern New Mexico)
  The Rio Hondo is a river in southern New Mexico which begins at the confluence of the Rio Bonito and Rio Ruidoso rivers near the town of Hondo, New Mexico. The river flows eastward through the Hondo Valley in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca and Capitan Mountains, roughly paralleling the route...
  
  (New Mexico)
  - Two Rivers Reservoir (New Mexico)
  - Rio Bonito
    Rio Bonito (New Mexico)
    The Rio Bonito is a small river in the Sierra Blanca Mountains of southern New Mexico, USA. The headwaters of the river start in the Lincoln National Forest on the slopes of Sierra Blanca and travel eastward until they merge with the south fork of the Rio Bonito just west of Bonito Lake, a man-made...
    
    (New Mexico)
  - Rio Ruidoso
    Rio Ruidoso
    The Rio Ruidoso is a long river located in the Sierra Blanca and Sacramento Mountains in Lincoln County and Otero County, New Mexico in the United States and is part of the Rio Ruidoso Watershed...
    
    (New Mexico)
- Gallinas River (New Mexico)
San Francisco Creek
San Francisco Creek
-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...

(Texas)
Maravillas Creek
Maravillas Creek
-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...

(Texas)
Arroyo del a Guaje (Coahuila)
- Laguna del Guaje (Coahuila)
Terlingua Creek
Terlingua Creek
Terlingua Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a tributary of the Rio Grande....

(Texas)
Rio San Carlos (Chihuahua)
Alamito Creek
Alamito Creek
Alamito Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a tributary of the Rio Grande, which is joins near Presidio, Texas....

(Texas)

Rio Conchos
Rio Conchos
The Rio Conchos is a large river in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It joins the Río Bravo del Norte at the town of Ojinaga, Chihuahua.-Description:...

(Chihuahua and Durango)
- Luis L. Leon Dam and Luis L. Leon Reservoir (Chihuahua)
- Rio Chuviscar (Chihuahua)
  - Rio Sacramento (Chihuahua)
- San Pedro River
  San Pedro River (Chihuahua)
  The San Pedro River is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the Rio Conchos, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande.-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 ....
  
  , or Rio San Pedro (Chihuahua)
  - Francisco I. Madero Dam and Francisco I. Madero Reservoir (Chihuahua)
  - Rio Santa Isabel (Chiahuahua)
- Florido River
  Florido River
  The Rio Florido, Río Florido, or Florido River, is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the Rio Conchos, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande.-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 ....
  
  , or Rio Florido (Chihuahua and Durango)
  - Parral River
    Parral River
    The Rio Parral, Río Parral, or Parral River, is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the Rio Florido, which flows into the Rio Conchos, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande.-References:...
    
    , or Rio Parral (Chihuahua and Durango)
- La Colina Dam and La Colina Reservoir (Chihuahua)
- La Boquilla Dam and La Boquilla Reservoir (Chihuahua)
- Balleza River
  Balleza River
  The Balleza River, or Río Balleza, is a river of Mexico. It is a tributary of the Rio Conchos, which in turn flows into the Rio Grande.-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 ....
  
  , or Rio Balleza (Chihuahua and Durango)
- Rio Nonoava (Chihuahua)

Green River (Texas)
Rio Viego (Chihuahua)
International Dam and International Reservoir (Texas and Chihuahua)
American Diversion Dam and American Reservoir (Texas)
Caballo Dam
Caballo Dam
Caballo Dam is an earthen dam on the Rio Grande about downstream from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, United States. In conjunction with Elephant Butte Dam, which lies about upstream, it regulates the discharge of the river in the lower Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico. Caballo serves as an...

and Caballo Reservoir (New Mexico)
Elephant Butte Dam
Elephant Butte Dam
Elephant Butte Dam or Elephant Butte Dike is a concrete gravity dam on the Rio Grande near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The river was dammed here, impounding the Elephant Butte Reservoir for recreation and agriculture, lessening the downstream flow from a Rio Bravo to a stream a foot deep.The...

and Elephant Butte Reservoir
Elephant Butte Reservoir
Elephant Butte Reservoir is a reservoir on the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico, north of Truth or Consequences. It is impounded by Elephant Butte Dam and is the largest reservoir in New Mexico...

(New Mexico)
Rio Salado
Rio Salado (New Mexico)
The Rio Salado is tributary of the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico. From its source in northeast Catron County it flows about generally east to join the Rio Grande just north of Polvadera and about north of Socorro. The name Río Salado is Spanish for "salty river".-Course:The Rio...

(New Mexico)
Rio Puerco (New Mexico)
- Rio San Jose (New Mexico)
  - Rio San Juan (New Mexico)
Jemez River
Jemez River
The Jemez River is a tributary of the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The river is formed by the confluence of the East Fork Jemez River and San Antonio Creek, which drain a number of tributaries in the area of the Jemez Mountains and Santa Fe National Forest. The Jemez River is about ...

(New Mexico)
- Jemez Canyon Dam and Jemez Canyon Reservoir (New Mexico)
- Rio Salado (New Mexico)
- Rio Guadalupe (New Mexico)
- San Antonio Creek (New Mexico)
- East Fork Jemez River (New Mexico)
  - Jaramillo Creek
    Jaramillo Creek
    Jaramillo Creek is a 10 mile long stream in New Mexico with headwaters in the Jemez Mountains. Jaramillo is a tributary of the East Fork Jemez which is then a tributary of the Jemez River, a tributary of the Rio Grande. The creek is located in a graben in the Pleistocene age Valles Caldera...
Santa Fe River
Santa Fe River (New Mexico)
The Santa Fe River is a tributary of the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico. It starts in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and passes through the state capital, Santa Fe providing approximately 40% of the city's water supply. It is an...

(New Mexico)
Cochiti Dam
Cochiti Dam
The Cochiti Dam is an earthen fill dam located on the Rio Grande River in Sandoval County, New Mexico approximately 50 miles north of Albuquerque, New Mexico in the United States...

and Cochiti Lake (New Mexico)
Rio Chiquito
Río Chiquito
The Río Chiquito is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. This river feeds into the Rio Portugues in the sector called Parras. It has its origin in the mountains west of Montes Llanos. Rio Chiquito is fed by Quebrada del Pastillo...

(New Mexico)
Pojoaque River (New Mexico)
- Rio Chupadero (New Mexico)
Santa Cruz River (New Mexico)

Rio Chama (New Mexico and Colorado)
- Rio Ojo Caliente
  Rio Ojo Caliente
  The Rio Ojo Caliente is a tributary river of the Rio Chama and the Rio Grande. It is located in northern New Mexico, US....
  
  (New Mexico)
  - Rio Vallecitos (New Mexico)
  - Rio Tusas (New Mexico)
- Rio del Oso (New Mexico)
  - Gallina Creek (New Mexico)
- El Rito (New Mexico)
- Abiquiu Creek (New Mexico)
  - Vallecitos Creek (New Mexico)
- Abiquiu Dam and Abiquiu Lake
  Abiquiu Lake
  Abiquiu Lake is a reservoir located in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. Water of the Rio Chama is impounded by the earth-filled Abiquiu Dam, 1,800 feet long and 340 feet high, completed in 1963 and raised in 1986...
  
  (New Mexico)
- Cañones Creek (New Mexico)
  - Polvadera Creek (New Mexico)
  - Chihuahueños Creek (New Mexico)
  - Barrancones Creek (New Mexico)
- Canjilon Creek (New Mexico)
- Rio Puerco (New Mexico)
  - Coyote Creek (New Mexico)
  - Poleo Creek (New Mexico)
  - Rito Redondo (New Mexico)
    - Rito Resumidero (New Mexico)
- Rio Gallina (New Mexico)
  - Rio Capulin (New Mexico)
- Rio Cebolla (New Mexico)
- Rio Nutrias (New Mexico)
- El Vado Dam
  El Vado Dam
  El Vado Dam lies on the Rio Chama in the U.S. state of New Mexico, about north-northwest of New Mexico's largest city, Albuquerque and about northwest of the capital city of Santa Fe. The earth-filled structure forms El Vado Lake, a storage reservoir for the Middle Rio Grande Project. Owned by...
  
  and El Vado Lake
  El Vado Lake
  El Vado Lake is a reservoir located in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. Water is impounded by the earth-filled El Vado Dam, on the Rio Chama, long and high, completed in 1935...
  
  (New Mexico)
  - Willow Creek (New Mexico)
    - Heron Dam and Heron Lake
      Heron Lake (New Mexico)
      Heron Lake is a reservoir in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The lake is part of the San Juan-Chama Diversion Project, which transfers water from the upper reaches of the San Juan River through the Azotea Tunnel , into Willow Creek and the Rio Chama...
      
      (New Mexico)
- Rio Brazos (New Mexico)
- Rio Chamita (New Mexico)

Rio de Truchas (New Mexico)
Rio Pueblo de Taos
Rio Pueblo de Taos
The Rio Pueblo de Taos, also known as Rio Pueblo, is tributary of the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico. From its source in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains it flows about , generally south and west, to join the Rio Grande in the Rio Grande Gorge...

(New Mexico)
Rio Hondo (New Mexico)
Red River
Red River (New Mexico)
The Red River of New Mexico, USA, is a short, perennial river that flows down the north slope of Mount Wheeler in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, flows west past the towns of Red River and Questa and then south into the Rio Grande just south of the La Junta Campground.The Red River is noted for its...

(New Mexico)
Conejos River
Conejos River
The Conejos River is a tributary of the Rio Grande, approximately long, in south-central Colorado in the United States. It drains a scenic area of the eastern San Juan Mountains west of the San Luis Valley.-Description:...

(Colorado)
- Rio San Antonio (Colorado)
  - Rio de los Pinos (Colorado and New Mexico)
    - North Fork Rio de los Pinos (Colorado)
  - Rio Nutritas (New Mexico)
- Platoro Dam and Platoro Reservoir (Colorado)
Alamosa River
Alamosa River
The Alamosa River is a river in the southern part of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is about long, flowing roughly east through the San Luis Valley. Its watershed comprises about .The river's name means "shaded with cottonwoods" in Spanish....

(Colorado)
South Fork Rio Grande (Colorado)
Rio Grande Dam and Rio Grande Reservoir (Colorado)

See also