Savannah River

Savannah River, GA & SC - Developing new approaches to meet multiple needs

The Savannah River provides drinking water for more than one million people and hosts numerous endangered, threatened and rare species of plants and animals. The three Corps dams on the river included in SRP activities generate hundreds of millions of kilowatt hours of hydroelectricity each year. The reservoirs at J. Strom Thurmond Dam, Richard B. Russell Dam and Hartwell Dam are visited by a total of more than one million people annually.

Because of the river's vital importance, the Corps and Conservancy are modifying reservoir operations to maintain and even enhance the many services provided by the Savannah, particularly in the face of continuing drought conditions.

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J. Strom Thurmond Lake and Dam - In 2003, a group of scientists, engineers, and water managers defined a set of environmental flow recommendations for the Savannah River below Thurmond Dam (USACE photo).

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Savannah River - The Savannah River below New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam is shown during a 2004 pulse release designed to encourage fish passage through New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam (photo by John Hickey, USACE).

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New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam - New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam is shown during the 2004 pulse release. When flows in the Savannah exceed 16,000 cubic feet per second, the gates of the structure are raised, which scientists hypothesized would encourage fish passage through the structure (photo by John Hickey, USACE).

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Savannah River - The Savannah collaboration began when the Conservancy initiated discussions with Savannah District regarding conservation hopes for the river. Initial environmental flows work aligned with the Savannah River Basin Comprehensive Study, which was a planning effort to better understand current and future water resources needs in the basin (USACE photo).

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Augusta Canal Diversion Dam - The Savannah River below the Augusta Canal diversion is characterized by numerous rock structures called shoals. Shoals river reaches provide important fish spawning and rearing habitat in the Savannah River (photo by John Hickey, USACE).

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Fish Monitoring - Staff of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources monitor fish populations in the Savannah River (photo by John Hickey, USACE).

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Construction of dams on the Savannah River - Installation of hydropower equipment at Hartwell Dam on the Savannah River (USACE photo).

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Savannah River below Thurmond Dam - A view of the Savannah River from the South Carolina shore below Thurmond Dam (photo by Lynn McBride, TNC).

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Story

The Savannah River has been altered by hydrologic regulation and channel modification in the past half century. J. Strom Thurmond Dam is the lowermost of three large dams operated by the Army Corps of Engineers on the Savannah River, which forms the border between Georgia and South Carolina.

The Lower Savannah River, flows downstream from Thurmond Dam approximately 185 miles and supports several types of ecosystems such as floodplains and river shoals, and provides habitats for a diverse array of species.   Read More

Partners

• South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• U.S. Geological Survey
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Environmental Protection Agency
• University of Georgia
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Coastal Resources Division
• The Nature Conservancy
• National Marine Fisheries Service
• South Carolina Coastal Conservation League

Resources

1. Duncan, W.W., M.C. Freeman, C.A. Jennings, and J.T. McLean. 2003. Considerations for flow alternatives that sustain Savannah River fish populations. pp. 468 - 471. In Proceedings of the 2003 Georgia Water Resources Conference, held April 23-24, 2003, at the University of Georgia. Kathryn Hatcher, editor. Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens GA.
2. Duncan, W.W. and E.M. Eudaly. 2003. Draft Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report on Savannah River Basin Comprehensive Study. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta GA.
3. Hale, V.S. and C.R. Jackson. 2003. Hydrologic modifications to the Lower Savannah River. pp. 460 - 463. In Proceedings of the 2003 Georgia Water Resources Conference, held April 23-24, 2003, at the University of Georgia. Kathryn Hatcher, editor. Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens GA.
4. Meyer, J., M. Alber, W. Duncan, M. Freeman, C.Hale, R. Jackson, C. Jennings, M. Palta, E. Richardson, R. Sharitz, J. Sheldon, and R. Weyers. 2003. Summary Report Supporting the Development of Ecosystem Flow Recommendations for the Savannah River below Thurmond Dam. www.rivercenter.uga.edu.
5. Palta, M.M., E.A. Richardson, and R.R. Sharitz. 2003. Effects of altered flow regimes on floodplain forest processes in the Savannah River Basin. pp. 464 - 467. In Proceedings of the 2003 Georgia Water Resources Conference, held April 23-24, 2003, at the University of Georgia. Kathryn Hatcher, editor. Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens GA.
6. Richter, B.D., J.L. Meyer, K. Lutz and A. Warner. 2003. Specifying water flow requirements to support river health. pp. 457 - 459. In Proceedings of the 2003 Georgia Water Resources Conference, held April 23-24, 2003, at the University of Georgia. Kathryn Hatcher, editor. Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens GA.

Publications