The Saluda River is a principal
tributary of the
Congaree River
The Congaree River is a short but wide river in South Carolina in the United States; It flows for approximately 53 miles (85 km). The river serves an important role as the final outlet channel for the entire Lower Saluda and Lower Broad wate ...
, about 200 mi (320 km) long, in northern and western
South Carolina in the
United States. Via the Congaree River, it is part of the
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
of the
Santee River
}
The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...
, which flows to the
Atlantic Ocean.
Course
The Saluda River is formed about 10 mi (15 km) northwest of the city of
Greenville, on the common boundary of
Greenville and
Pickens Counties, by the confluence of its north and south forks, each of which rises in the
Blue Ridge Mountains very near the border of
North Carolina at
Saluda, North Carolina:
*The North Saluda River flows generally south-southwestwardly through northern Greenville County, past
Marietta
Marietta may refer to:
Places in the United States
*Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida
*Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta
*Marietta, Illinois
*Marietta, Indiana
*Marietta, Kansas
*Marietta, Minnesota
*Marietta, Mississippi
*Mar ...
.
*The South Saluda River flows generally southeastwardly on the Greenville-Pickens County border, receiving the
Oolenoy River
The Oolenoy River is a minor tributary of the Saluda River sourced near Sassafras Mountain in northern Pickens County, South Carolina. Approximately 37 miles in length, it empties into the South Fork Saluda River near the Pumpkintown Community. It ...
and the Middle Saluda River, which rises in
Jones Gap State Park and flows generally southward through northwestern Greenville County.
From this confluence the Saluda River flows generally southeastwardly through the
Piedmont region, through or along the boundaries of Pickens, Greenville,
Anderson,
Abbeville,
Laurens,
Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood.
Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to:
People
* Greenwood (surname)
Settlements
Australia
* Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region
* Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth
C ...
,
Newberry,
Saluda,
Lexington and
Richland Counties, past the towns of
Piedmont,
West Pelzer,
Pelzer,
Ware Shoals and
West Columbia. It joins the
Broad River in
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
to form the Congaree River.
Dams
Dams on the Saluda include:
*The uppermost dam on the Saluda River, on the border of
Greenville and
Pickens Counties, forming
Saluda Lake
*Lake Saluda Reservoir Dam near
Berea Berea may refer to:
Places Greece
* Beroea, a place mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, now known as Veria or Veroia
Lesotho
* Berea District
Romania
* Berea, a village in Ciumești Commune, Satu Mare County
* Berea, a tributary of the Va ...
.
*the old
textile mill dam in
Piedmont
*The
textile mill dam at
Pelzer
*The Pelzer Mills Dam, near
Williamston
*The Lee Steam Plant Dam near Williamston
*The Holiday Dam near
Belton
*a still-operating dam built to power the
textile mill in
Ware Shoals
*Greenwood dam, creating
Lake Greenwood
*
Dreher Shoals Dam
The Saluda DamFederal Writers Project. ''South Carolina: A Guide To The Palmetto State.'' Volume 5 of American Guide. Somerset Publishers, Inc., 1941. p. 377. or Saluda River Dam, officially the Dreher Shoals Dam, commonly referred to as the Lake ...
creating
Lake Murray
Principal tributaries
*The
Reedy River flows into Lake Greenwood from the north in Laurens County.
*The
Little River flows into the Saluda from the north in Newberry County.
*The
Bush River flows into Lake Murray from the north in Newberry County.
*The Little Saluda River flows into Lake Murray from the south in Saluda County; it is formed at the town of
Saluda by the confluence of Mine Creek and Red Bank Creek.
Crossings
As it travels downstream, the Saluda river is crossed several times. (Note: this list may at times be incomplete)
*Greenville County/Pickens County/Anderson County
**Old Hunts Bridge Road
**SC 183/Farrs Bridge Road
**Saluda Dam Road
**SC 124/Old Easley Highway
**New Easley Highway (
U.S. 123)
**Old Easley Bridge Road
**Anderson Road (Old Dunham Bridge -
SC 81
South Carolina Highway 81 (SC 81) is a State highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway connects rural areas of McCormick County, South Carolina, McCormick County with Greenville, South Carolina, Gree ...
)
Powdersville
Powdersville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,618 at the 2010 census, up from 5,362 in 2000. Powdersville was initially a farming community until the increase in housing su ...
/
Greenville
**Frontage Road
**
Interstate 85
**SC 153
**Anderson Street in
Piedmont, South Carolina
Piedmont is a census-designated place (CDP) along the Saluda River in Anderson and Greenville counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 5,411 at the 2020 census.
Piedmont is a part of the Greenville-Anderson metropolitan ...
(SC 86)
**Piedmont Highway (SC 20) in
Pelzer, South Carolina
Pelzer is a town in Anderson County in South Carolina, United States, along the Saluda River. The population was 89 at the 2010 census.
Government
As of 2010 the town was governed by a mayor and four council members. The current Mayor is William ...
**
SC 8 SC8, SC.8, SC 8, SC-8 or variants may refer to:
* ''SC-08'', South Carolina's 8th congressional district
* ''SC 8'', South Carolina Highway 8
* ''SC08'', a FIPS 10-4 region code, see List of FIPS region codes (S–U)
* ''SC-08'', a subdivision code ...
in Pelzer
**Lee Steam Plant Road
**Cooley Bridge Road in
Belton, South Carolina
Belton is a city in eastern Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,134 at the 2010 census.
History
In 1845 a group was created to connect the Piedmont region of South Carolina by rail to the existing rail system wh ...
**Holiday Dam Road
**
US 76 in
Honea Path, South Carolina
*Laurens County/Abbeville County/Greenwood County
**Erwin Mill Road
**Maddox Bridge Road
**
SC 252
South Carolina Highway 252 (SC 252) is a state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway connects the Anderson and Laurens areas with Honea Path and Ware Shoals. It has a unique feature in that it intersects U.S. Rou ...
(Old Bridge) in
Ware Shoals, South Carolina
Ware Shoals is a town in Abbeville, Greenwood, and Laurens counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, along the Saluda River . Ware Shoals has a 2020 population of 1,607. Ware Shoals is currently declining at a rate of -2.84% annually a ...
**East Main Street in Ware Shoals
**
US 25
U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Highway that runs for in the southern and midwestern US. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, from where it proceeds mostly due north, passing through the cities of Augusta, Georg ...
in Ware Shoals
*
Lake Greenwood
**Old Laurens-Greenwood Highway
**Greenwood Highway (
SC 72
South Carolina Highway 72 (SC 72) is a state highway, traversing interior portions of the South Carolina Piedmont region. This route is part of a multi two-state route 72 that begins at Athens, Georgia and ends at Rock Hill, South Caro ...
/
US 221) in
Lake Shores, South Carolina
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
*Newberry County/Saluda County
**
Ninety-Six Highway (
SC 34 SC34 or S.C. 34 may refer to:
* (48792) 1997 SC34, asteroid belt minor planet
* ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34, ISO document subcommittee of Joint Technical Committee 1
* South Carolina Highway 34
South Carolina Highway 34 (SC 34) is a primary st ...
)
**
SC 39 SC 39 or variants may refer to:
* South Carolina Highway 39
* USS SC-39 - USS Submarine Chaser No. 39
* Scandium-39 (Sc-39 or 39Sc), an isotope of scandium
{{DEFAULTSORT:sc39 ...
in
Chappells, South Carolina
**Newberry Highway (
SC 121
South Carolina Highway 121 (SC 121) is a major state highway that travels north and south in central parts of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway is actually part of a long multi-state highway that also exists in Florida and G ...
)
*Lake Murray
**Kempson Bridge Road (
SC 395
South Carolina Highway 395 (SC 395) is a State highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway connects the Lake Murray (South Carolina), Lake Murray area with Newberry, South Carolina, Newberry.
Route des ...
)
**
SC 391
South Carolina Highway 391 (SC 391) is a State highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway connects rural areas of Aiken County, South Carolina, Aiken County with Prosperity, South Carolina, Prosperity, ...
near
Prosperity, South Carolina
Prosperity is a town in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,180 at the 2010 census.
History
Before being named Prosperity, the area was called Frog Level due to its low-lying location and large numbers of frogs li ...
(also crosses the
Little Saluda River
The Saluda River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 200 mi (320 km) long, in northern and western South Carolina in the United States. Via the Congaree River, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which f ...
)
**
Dreher Shoals Dam
The Saluda DamFederal Writers Project. ''South Carolina: A Guide To The Palmetto State.'' Volume 5 of American Guide. Somerset Publishers, Inc., 1941. p. 377. or Saluda River Dam, officially the Dreher Shoals Dam, commonly referred to as the Lake ...
(
SC 6 SC-6 or variant may refer to:
* South Carolina's 6th congressional district
* SC6 spodumene concentrate 6, a high-purity refined ore of lithium for battery manufacture
*SC 6, an abbreviation for South Carolina Highway 6
South Carolina Highway&nbs ...
)
*Columbia/West Columbia
**
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with Interstate 10, I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with Interstate 95, I-95 in Flo ...
**
Interstate 26
**
Riverbanks Zoo
The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden located along the Saluda River in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. A small portion of the zoo extends into the nearby city of West Columbia. It is operated by the ...
(footbridge)
Variant names
According to the
Geographic Names Information System, the Saluda River has also been known as:
*Chickawa
*Corn River
*Saludy River
*Saluta River
*Salutah River
*
Santee River
}
The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...
*Seleuda River
The river is named after an Indian tribe that once lived along its banks near the community of
Chappells,
South Carolina.
Save Our Saluda
In 2008, a collective of local citizens (or Citizens Action Group) based in
Marietta
Marietta may refer to:
Places in the United States
*Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida
*Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta
*Marietta, Illinois
*Marietta, Indiana
*Marietta, Kansas
*Marietta, Minnesota
*Marietta, Mississippi
*Mar ...
,
Greenville County, South Carolina initiated a campaign to "Save Our Saluda" following what they perceived to be aggressive property development. Their mission is to "(protect) and (preserve) the
headwaters of the Saluda
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
through concerned citizens action".
Endangered Status
In April 2009, the Saluda River was named by American Rivers, a leading river conservation group to a list of rivers in the
United States that are under imminent threat by dams, industry or development. The article, posted on
CNN on April 7, 2009 stated "Excess levels of sewage waste threaten the drinking water of more than 500,000 South Carolina residents, conservationists say. Sewage in the river increases phosphorus and algae levels, depletes oxygen, and kills fish and other aquatic life. American Rivers is asking the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control to improve sewage-treatment standards and ensure the river reduces its phosphorus levels by 25 to 50 percent."
See also
*
List of South Carolina rivers
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of South Carolina:
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, from north to south, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name. All rivers in South Carolina drain ...
Sources
Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry*
DeLorme
DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...
(1998). ''South Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. .
*
*
*
*
*
SC DNR Middle Saluda RiverSave Our Saluda website
{{authority control
Rivers of South Carolina
Geography of Columbia, South Carolina
Rivers of Abbeville County, South Carolina
Rivers of Anderson County, South Carolina
Rivers of Greenville County, South Carolina
Rivers of Greenwood County, South Carolina
Rivers of Laurens County, South Carolina
Rivers of Lexington County, South Carolina
Rivers of Pickens County, South Carolina
Rivers of Richland County, South Carolina
Rivers of Saluda County, South Carolina
Tributaries of the Santee River