Rusk County is located within the eastern portion of the Interior Coastal Plains subprovince of the Gulf Coastal Plains physiographic province. The subprovince is comprised of alternating sequences of unconsolidated sands and clays. Erosion of the clay soils has resulted in terrain consisting of sand ridges that generally parallel the coast.
In East Texas, the subprovince is characterized by pine and hardwood forests and numerous permanent streams. West and northwest of Rusk County, faults associated with salt domes are characteristic of the region.
Ecologically, Rusk County is situated in the South Central Plains ecoregion, which stretches across eastern Texas and into northwestern Louisiana and southwestern Arkansas. In eastern Texas, this ecoregion is commonly referred to as the Piney Woods.
The Piney Woods region of eastern Texas is considered the western edge of the southern coniferous forest belt. Areas that were once dominated by long-leaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas are now predominantly classified as oak-hickory-pine forest.
Large areas have been converted to plantations of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), while some localized areas have been converted to agricultural pastureland. In the northeastern portion of the county, surface mining for lignite has occurred in large areas of the Wilcox aquifer outcrop. Upon completion of mining activities, the land is reclaimed with the intent to restore pre-existing conditions, including slope and vegetation.
Topographically, Rusk County is situated atop a drainage divide that separates the Sabine River drainage basin to the northeast and the Neches River drainage basin to the southwest. The drainage divide generally follows a northwest-southeast trending ridge that extends through the interior of the county from just south of Overton and New London in the northwestern portion of the county to just north of Mt. Enterprise and the community of Caledonia in the southeastern portion of the county.
Higher elevations along the ridge range from 539 feet to 623 feet, relative to mean sea level (MSL). North of the ridge, topography generally slopes downward towards the Sabine River to elevations as low as 211 feet, MSL, in the northeast corner of the county.
South of the ridge, topography generally slopes downward towards the Angelina River to elevations as low as 243 feet, MSL, in the southwest corner of the county.
Topography along the ridge generally represents the highest elevations in the county, with the exception of areas along the Mt. Enterprise Fault System in the southern portions of the county. Higher elevations along the Mt. Enterprise Fault System range from 575 feet to 719 feet, MSL.
The majority of Rusk County, approximately 89%, is comprised of gently sloping to moderately steep rolling hills. Soil types throughout this land are predominantly well-drained with moderate permeability. Approximately 11% of the county is located on nearly level flood plains with moderately slow permeable soils.
*Information on the geologic units and their water-bearing properties within Rusk County is available in the District’s Management Plan, located in the District Documents section of the District’s website.
