The Double Bayou Watershed lies on the eastern shoreline of Trinity Bay on the Upper Texas Gulf Coast. Double Bayou has two forks, the West and East, which converge at Oak Island. The Watershed drains 98 square miles (61,445 acres) of predominantly rural and agricultural land directly into Trinity Bay and, ultimately, into the larger Galveston Bay system. The majority (93%) of the watershed lies within Chambers County while the remaining 7% of the watershed is in Liberty County, Texas.
The East and West Forks of Double Bayou run through the heart of Chambers County and were the backdrop for some key events in Texas history. These events include the 1847 founding of what became the 26,000-acre JHK Ranch along the East Fork, an 1875 birth of a future Texas governor along the West Fork, the move of the Chambers County seat to Anahuac in 1907, and development of the Anahuac oil field in the 1930s.
Today, the lands and waters that make up the Double Bayou Watershed provide a snapshot of the much-prized rural Chambers County life: rice farming, cattle grazing, oil production, small town and country living, industry and commercial navigation, sailing, paddling, crabbing, recreational fishing, and wildlife watching. In addition, the waters of Double Bayou drain into Trinity Bay, just up current from the largest oyster harvesting operation in Texas.