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51-702: In 1890, Lieutenant Oberlin M. Carter of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Savannah Office issued a survey report that recommended the construction of dams on the Savannah River in order to prevent flooding in Augusta, Georgia . His report was overlooked until the 1927 Rivers and Harbors Act allowed the USACE to investigate development of the Savannah River for the purpose of hydroelectricity , navigation , flood control , and irrigation . In 1933,

102-547: A drop-pool style river, rapids are followed by calm pools for swimming. The Chattooga headwaters are located in the Whiteside Mountain area on the Blue Ridge escarpment near Cashiers, NC. Flowing through Cashiers as a small stream, the upper stretches (Sections 00, 0, and 1) are excellent trout waters and, depending on water level, are either not boatable or restricted. Section 1, beginning at Burrell's Ford,

153-457: A portion of the Savannah River to create the reservoir. In March 1962, the reservoir was complete behind the dam and the four original hydro-power generators went online in April. The original projected cost of the dam was US$ 68.4 million but when completed was just over US$ 89.2 million. In 1983, the fifth generator was installed on the dam, raising the generation capacity to 344 MW. By 1997,

204-461: A top priority. The Stekoa Creek Basin is approximately 45 square miles (120 km ) in size. In the late spring, the river is lined with blooming pink and white mountain laurel . Early spring is also a great time to go rafting , kayaking , or canoeing because of the higher flows and cooler temperatures. The Chattooga is a free-flowing river (no upstream dam to control the flow) which quickly responds to rainfall or drought conditions. As

255-754: A total of about 57 miles (92 km). On the commercially rafted sections (III and IV) there is a 1/4 mile protected corridor of National Forest on both sides of the river, allowing no roads to the river or development of any kind. There are a few areas on the river where access has been made more accessible on Section III, but much of Section IV is fairly remote. The Chattooga also bisects the Ellicott Rock Wilderness which straddles three states (Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina) and three National Forests (the Chattahoochee , Nantahala and Sumter National Forests). The Georgia portion of

306-484: A variety of climates and ecosystems during its course. It is considered an alluvial river, draining a 10,577-square-mile (27,390 km ) drainage basin and carrying large amounts of sediment to the ocean. At its headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains , the climate is quite temperate. The river's tributaries receive a small amount of snow-melt runoff in the winter. The majority of the river's flow through

357-496: Is Bull Sluice . Section 4 includes Class II-V rapids, including the famous Five Falls (five class III-V rapids in roughly a 1/4 mile stretch). The minimum age requirement to raft Section 3 is eight, and Section 4 is twelve. A number of signature rapids on this river were featured in the motion picture Deliverance . The Forest Plan , issued in 1976 and revised in January 2004, restricted motorized craft, closed many roads to

408-493: Is Yamacraw Bluff , the location selected to build the city of Savannah. The river becomes a large estuary at the coast, where fresh- and saltwater mix. River dredging operations to maintain the Port of Savannah have caused the estuary zone to move further upstream than its historical home. This is causing the rare freshwater marshland to be taken over by saltwater spartina marsh. Tributaries include: The Savannah River Basin in

459-650: Is 7.4 miles (11.9 km) long. The West Fork Chattooga River (variant name Gumekoloke Creek ) runs 6.0 miles (9.7 km) in from Rabun County, Georgia, and is also a variant name for that county's Holcomb Creek, one of its own tributaries. One of the largest tributaries in the Chattooga basin that flows mainly through private lands is Stekoa Creek , which flows primarily southeast for approximately 18 miles (29 km) from its headwaters in Mountain City, Georgia , through Clayton, Georgia , to its mouth at

510-682: Is located on the Tallulah River , a tributary of the Tugaloo River that forms the northwest branch of the Savannah River. Two major cities are located along the Savannah River: Savannah and Augusta , Georgia. Founded in 1733 and 1736, respectively, they were nuclei of early English settlements during the Colonial period of American history. The Savannah River is tidal at Savannah proper. Downstream from there,

561-580: Is mostly granite . Geologists believe that the Chattooga may have made one direction change during its life. Originally, it probably flowed southwesterly into the Chattahoochee River and on to the Gulf of Mexico. At some point, the Savannah River eroded its northern headland until it captured the Chattooga and diverted its waters to the Atlantic. The rocks in the riverbed probably fell from

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612-553: Is now the Department of Energy. Three of the site's five production reactors as well as its coal power plant discharged waste heat to the Savannah River via Pen Branch, Steel Creek, and Beaver Creek while two reactors discharged heat to the man made PAR Pond on Lower Three Runs Creek. The Savannah River Plant also produced the majority of the Atomic Energy Commission's heavy water supply by processing water from

663-541: Is very hazardous and restricted to certain months and water levels. The West Fork, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Section 1, is ideal for tubing and class II float trips. It begins at the Overflow Road Bridge and terminates at the Section 2 put-in. Section 2, starting at Highway 28, is a class II float. Section 3 has Class II-IV rapids which rafters and kayakers frequent. The final rapid in Section 3

714-655: The American Civil War , President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a blockade around the Confederate States of America , forcing merchantmen to use specific ports along the coast best suited for this purpose. The harbor at Savannah became one of the busiest ports for blockade runners bringing in supplies for the Confederacy until it was cut off by the reduction of Fort Pulaski and Union capture of Cockspur Island . The South Carolina-Georgia border

765-511: The Piedmont region is dominated by large reservoirs. Below the Fall Line, the river slows and is surrounded by large blackwater bald cypress swamps. Numerous oxbow lakes mark the locations of old river channels, which have shifted course because of earthquakes and silting. Another prominent feature are the numerous large bluffs that line the river in some locations. Most notable of these

816-536: The Port of Savannah only to the Georgia Power's Plant McIntosh site, near Rincon, Georgia ; from there, the cargo was moved by a road transporter. This is a list of crossings of the Savannah River. Chattooga River The Chattooga River (also spelled Chatooga , Chatuga , and Chautaga , variant name Guinekelokee River ) is the main tributary of the Tugaloo River . The headwaters of

867-643: The Savannah River Basin transitioned out of drought and normal flows should soon resume. The 2007-2009 drought raised controversy over the Southeastern Power Association's (SEPA) role of controlling the Hartwell Dam. Complaints arose that the dam was releasing excess water in order to provide cheap power to communities. In addition, environmental controversy arose as to whether the releases and subsequent draining of

918-668: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built three major dams on the Savannah for hydroelectricity , flood control , and navigation . The J. Strom Thurmond Dam (1954), the Hartwell Dam (1962), and the Richard B. Russell Dam (1985) and their reservoirs combine in order to form over 120 miles (190 km) of lakes. In December 1986, an oil spill caused by an oil tanker docked at the port of Savannah resulted in approximately 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L) of fuel oil leaking into

969-601: The U.S. Geological Survey , include May River, Westobou River (for the Westo tribe), Kosalu River, Isundiga River, and Girande River, among others. The Westo were thought to have migrated from the northeast, pushed out by the more powerful tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, who had acquired firearms through trade. This migration, beginning in the late 16th century, resulted in the Westo Indians reaching

1020-608: The Chattooga River are located southwest of Cashiers, North Carolina , and it stretches 57 miles (92 km) to its confluence with the Tallulah River within Lake Tugalo , which was created by the Tugalo Dam . The Chattooga begins in southern Jackson County, North Carolina , and flows southwestward between northwestern Oconee County, South Carolina , and eastern Rabun County, Georgia . The "Chattooga" spelling

1071-644: The Chattooga River. Stekoa Creek has been identified as the single greatest threat to the Chattooga's water quality. This is due primarily to raw sewage leaking from the City of Clayton's old sewage collection system, overflowing storm drains, runoff laden with sediment, poor agricultural practices, failing septic systems, and illegal dumping. Non-profit organizations, such as the Chattooga Conservancy , have made improving water quality in Stekoa Creek

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1122-699: The Savannah River via the Girdler sulfide process . Heavy water was used as the moderator for the site's production reactors. In 1956 Clyde L. Cowan and Frederick Reines first detected neutrinos with an experiment carried out at the Savannah River Plant P-Reactor. During their operating lifetimes, the Savannah River Plant's reactors significantly elevated the temperatures several Savannah River tributaries. Since these reactors predate nuclear power generation and were some of

1173-631: The Savannah River was once navigable by freight barges between Augusta, Georgia (on the Fall Line ) and the Atlantic Ocean. Maintenance of this channel for commercial shipping ended in 1979, and the one lock below Augusta has been deactivated. When a large piece of equipment (a deaerator ) needed to be delivered to the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant construction site in 2013, the barge travelled upstream from

1224-479: The Savannah River's head of navigation on the Fall Line . Present-day Augusta developed near there. These Shawnee were called by several variant names, which all derive from their native name, Ša·wano·ki (literally, "southerners"). The local variants included Shawano, Savano, Savana, and Savannah. Another theory is that the name was derived from the English term " savanna ", a kind of tropical grassland, which

1275-469: The Southeast region of the U.S. has been experiencing environmental change from anthropocentric activities. The Savannah River has the fourth-highest toxic discharge in the country, according to a 2009 report by Environment America . The conversion of the vegetation cover, including the urban growth, agriculture expansion, and deforestation and reforestation take place throughout the basin, especially near

1326-468: The USACE completed its report for the entire Savannah River Basin and recommended against government flood control development of the basin but proposed two hydropower dams in the upper Savannah Basin, the Hartwell and Clark Hill dams. The Flood Control Act of 1950 authorized the Hartwell Dam and Reservoir as a development project of the Savannah River Basin. Construction on the dam began in 1955 and

1377-718: The United States and the Cherokee extended the South Carolina boundary to its current location. Prior to 1816, the Chattooga flowed through the ancient homeland of the Cherokee Indian Nation . A Cherokee town known as Chattooga was located along the upper river. The people were forced to cede this territory to the United States. The Blue Ridge Mountains , where the Chattooga starts, are considered to be ancient, even by geological standards. The rock

1428-646: The Westo tribe as an obstacle. In order to remove the tribe, they sent a group called the Goose Creek Men to arm the Savanna (also known as the Savannah) Indians, a Shawnee tribe, who defeated the Westo in 1680. Following this, the English colonists renamed the river as the Savannah; it was integral to early development. They founded two major cities on the river during the colonial era: Savannah

1479-535: The earliest large reactors in the world, this offered unique opportunities for the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory to study the impact of large-scale thermal discharge and other effects of the site's operation. Efforts to remediate the thermal discharge directly to the river, such as the construction of a lake to receive the discharge of L-Reactor and cooling tower to dissipate the discharge of K-Reactor had been recently implemented by

1530-431: The early 2020s. This plant also requires water from the river, but all four units use large natural draft cooling towers to avoid large scale withdrawals or discharge. The McIntosh Combined Cycle Power Plant and Jasper Generating Station are situated further down the Savannah River which provides feed water for the mechanical draft cooling towers for their combined cycle natural gas plants . The Savannah River flows through

1581-537: The flow was again reduced to 3,600 cu ft/s (100 m/s) in October 2007. In August 2008, to maintain mid-term hydroelectric output and reservoir levels, releases below 3,600 cu ft/s (100 m/s) (a goal of 3,100 cu ft/s (88 m/s)) were explored and temporarily implemented. The flows were increased back to 3600 feet sec in February 2009 to prevent environmental damage. In October 2009,

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1632-441: The four original generators had exceeded their 30-year life expectancy by seven years and underwent a rehabilitation. Phase 1 began in 1997 and consisted of generator rewinding/turbine refurbishment, replacing and upgrading circuit breakers, and replacing and upgrading the transformers. Phase II consisted of replacing all of the switch-yard breakers and bus-work and updating the powerhouse and Clemson Pumping Station. Upon completion of

1683-465: The lakes and tributary waters in the middle and lower Savannah Basin. The continuous change of land use such as the conversion of forest areas to other types of land cover and vice versa can significantly lead to increasing threats to the environmental systems of the region. The river supports a large variety of native and introduced aquatic species: The river is one of only four in the southeast with significant populations of Hymenocallis coronaria ,

1734-640: The northernmost part of the state border. The Savannah River drainage basin extends into the southeastern side of the Appalachian Mountains just inside North Carolina , bounded by the Eastern Continental Divide . The river is around 301 miles (484 km) long. The Savannah was formed by the confluence of the Tugaloo River and the Seneca River . Today this confluence is part of Lake Hartwell . The Tallulah Gorge

1785-406: The plan called for a three-mile long structure containing four hydroelectric generators with a combined 264 MW capacity. Predicting future demand requirements, the ability to install a fifth generator in the future was provided. Of the dam's length, 1,900 ft is a concrete gravity dam , the rest being compacted earth. A year before its completion, in February 1961, the dam began to inundate

1836-463: The present area of Augusta, Georgia , in the late 17th century. The Westo used the river for fishing and water supplies, for transportation, and for trade. They were strong enough to hold off the Spanish colonists making incursions from Spanish Florida . The Carolina Colony needed the Westo alliance during its early years. When Carolinians desired to expand their trade to Charleston , they viewed

1887-609: The rehabilitation, generation capacity was increased to 422 MW, a 22.7% increase. Electricity from the dam is marketed by the Southeastern Power Administration . In June 2007, drought triggered Level 1 conditions, resulting in reduced flows of 4,200 cubic feet per second (120 m/s). 2 months later in August, Level 2 was triggered, resulting in a 4,000 cu ft/s (110 m/s) release. After receiving federal and state agency authorization,

1938-568: The reservoir during a severe drought was necessary. 34°21′28″N 82°49′17″W  /  34.35778°N 82.82139°W  / 34.35778; -82.82139 Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States , forming most of the border between South Carolina and Georgia . Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River , form

1989-399: The ridge above, but such rocks do not necessarily remain where they fall. In times of great downpours, high water, and fast currents, rocks can become dislodged and move downstream, taking other rocks and debris with them. During Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the wind force and waters knocked big boulders off the banks of the river. The hurricane dropped so much water in the Chattooga watershed that

2040-493: The river broadens into an estuary before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean . The area where the river's estuary meets the ocean is known as "Tybee Roads". The Intracoastal Waterway flows through a section of the Savannah River near the city of Savannah. The name "Savannah" comes from a group of Shawnee who migrated to the Piedmont region in the 1680s. They destroyed the Westo and occupied established Westo lands at

2091-850: The river is in the Chattooga River Ranger District of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Known as the "Crown Jewel" of the southeast, the Chattooga was the first river east of the Mississippi to be granted the Wild & Scenic designation, and is still the only one that is commercially rafted. The river is split into three forks. The Chattooga River is the main fork, running along the state line. The East Fork Chattooga River (sometimes East Prong Chattooga River ) runs in from Jackson County, North Carolina and then Oconee County, South Carolina, and

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2142-639: The river was recorded at its highest flow rate, around 26,000 cu ft/s (740 m /s) to 28,000 cu ft/s (790 m /s), rivaling the typical flow of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon . Since May 10, 1974, the Chattooga River has been protected along a 15,432-acre (6,245 ha) corridor as a national Wild and Scenic River . 39.8 miles (64.1 km) of the river have been designated “wild”, about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) “scenic”, and 14.6 miles (23.5 km) “recreational” for

2193-495: The river, and prohibited floating on the upper 21 miles (34 km) of river. This plan was challenged by several boating advocacy groups, causing the United States Forest Service to withdraw the plan of 2004 and ordering a Visitor Use Capacity Analysis. The USFS issued its final decision in January 2012. The decision expanded boating onto some sections of the upper Chattooga, including Section 1, with

2244-670: The river. In the 1950s, the Savannah River Plant was constructed across 310 square miles of land on the South Carolina bank the river south of Aiken displacing the residents of several small towns near the Savannah River. The site produced plutonium , tritium , and heavy water for the United States Atomic Energy Commission 's nuclear weapons program. The facility is now called the Savannah River Site, and its operator

2295-665: The shoals spider-lily. It has three populations in the primary river basin and one each in the tributaries of Stevens Creek in South Carolina and the Broad River in Georgia. Through the building of several locks and dams in the first half of the 20th century (such as the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam , completed in 1937 during the Great Depression ), and upstream reservoirs like Lake Hartwell ,

2346-652: The time the reactors were shut down at the end of the Cold War . The Savannah River Site now extracts tritium, but using targets irradiated at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Tennessee, so the heat discharge associated with tritium production is no longer in the Savannah River basin. The Vogtle Electric Generating Plant was constructed across the river from the Savannah River Plant, with units 1 and 2 completed in mid 1980s and units 3 and 4 completed in

2397-596: Was approved by the US Board on Geographic Names in 1897. The Chattooga and the Tallulah rivers combine to make the Tugaloo River , which is considered to start at the outlet of Lake Tugalo. Downriver from the Tugaloo's confluence with the Seneca River , it is known as the Savannah River below Lake Hartwell . Downstream from that point, the water flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Savannah, Georgia . The Chattooga

2448-455: Was borrowed by the English from Spanish sabana and used in the colonial southeast . The Spanish word was borrowed from the Taino word zabana . Other theories interpret the name Savannah to have come from Atlantic coastal tribes, who spoke Algonquian languages . These have similar terms meaning "southerner" or perhaps "salt". Historical and variant names of the Savannah River, as listed by

2499-415: Was established in 1733 as a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean , and Augusta is located where the river crosses the Fall Line of the Piedmont , at the headwaters of the navigable portion of the river downstream to the ocean. The two cities on the Savannah served as Georgia's first two state capitals. In the 19th century, the sandy river channel changed frequently, causing numerous steamboat accidents. During

2550-527: Was originally defined in the Treaty of Beaufort in 1787, which, among other things, "[reserved] all islands in [the river] to Georgia". Over time, new islands were created. Some, namely the Barnwell islands, are on the South Carolina side of the original line. In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the new islands on the South Carolina side of the border belong to South Carolina. Between 1946 and 1985,

2601-470: Was the model for the fictional 'Cahulawassee River' in James Dickey 's novel, Deliverance (1970). Scenes for the 1972 film of the same name were shot along the Chattooga River. The Chattooga River serves as part of the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina near latitude 35°N . The Chattooga was not the original boundary line between South Carolina and Georgia. A treaty of 1816 between

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