The Saluda River is a principal

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

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 wa ...

, about 200 mi (320 km) long, in northern and western

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Via the Congaree River, it is part of the

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

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 The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

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 The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

very near the border of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Saluda, North Carolina Saluda is a city in Polk and Henderson counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 713 at the 2010 census. Saluda is famous for sitting at the top of the Norfolk Southern Railway's Saluda Grade, which was the steepest main ...

: *The North Saluda River flows generally south-southwestwardly through northern Greenville County, past Marietta. *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 Pumpkintown. It is part of ...

and the Middle Saluda River, which rises in

Jones Gap State Park Jones Gap State Park is a South Carolina state park in northern Greenville County, near Marietta, South Carolina, Marietta. The park, which includes the headwaters of the Middle Saluda River, is, with Caesars Head State Park, administered by t ...

and flows generally southward through northwestern Greenville County. From this confluence the Saluda River flows generally southeastwardly through the

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

region, through or along the boundaries of Pickens, Greenville, Anderson,

Abbeville Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu. Geography Location A ...

Laurens Laurens may refer to: Places United States * Laurens County, Georgia * Laurens, Iowa, a city * Laurens (town), New York * Laurens (village), New York * Laurens, South Carolina, a city * Laurens County, South Carolina * Fort Laurens, an ...

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 ...

Newberry Newberry is a surname, a variant of Newbury. Notable people with the surname include: * Booker Newberry III (1956–2023), American singer and keyboardist * Brennan Newberry (born, 1990), American professional stock car racing driver * Brian Ne ...

, Saluda, Lexington and Richland Counties, past the towns of

, West Pelzer, Pelzer, Ware Shoals and West Columbia. It joins the Broad River in Columbia 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 Saluda Lake is a reservoir formed by a spillway from the uppermost dam on the Saluda River in South Carolina, United States. The lake was constructed in 1905 for the purpose of creating hydroelectric power. Duke Power Company formerly owned the ...

*the old

textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

dam in

*The

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

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 Lak ...

creating Lake Murray

Principal tributaries

*The

Reedy River The Reedy River is a tributary of the Saluda River, about long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States. Via the Saluda and Congaree rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. The ...

flows into Lake Greenwood from the north in Laurens County. *The

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

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) Powdersville/ Greenville **Frontage Road **

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

**SC 153 **Anderson Street in

Piedmont, South Carolina Piedmont is a census-designated place (CDP) along the Saluda River in Anderson County, South Carolina, Anderson and Greenville County, South Carolina, Greenville counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 5,411 at the 2020 Un ...

(SC 86) **Piedmont Highway (SC 20) in

Pelzer, South Carolina Pelzer is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States, along the Saluda River. Its population was 89 at the 2010 census, and grew to 1,344 at the 2020 census. Government As of 2010, the town was governed by a mayor and four counci ...

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. The population was 4,134 at the 2010 census. History In 1845 a group was created to connect the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of South Carolina by rail to the existing rai ...

**Holiday Dam Road **

US 76 U.S. Route 76 (US 76) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Southeastern United States that travels for . Its western terminus is at US 41 and the eastern terminus of US 72 (Broad Street) in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it travels ...

Honea Path, South Carolina Honea Path is a town primarily in Anderson County, South Carolina and extending into Abbeville County in the northwest part of the state. The population was 3,686 at the 2020 census. Geography Honea Path is located at (34.447400, -82.393044), a ...

*Laurens County/Abbeville County/Greenwood County **Erwin Mill Road **Maddox Bridge Road ** SC 252 (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. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,701. The Greenwood County portion of Ware Shoals is part of the Gre ...

**East Main Street in Ware Shoals **

US 25 U.S. Route 25 or U.S. Highway 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for in the Southern United States, Southern and Midwestern United States, Midwestern U.S. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick ...

in Ware Shoals * Lake Greenwood **Old Laurens-Greenwood Highway **Greenwood Highway ( SC 72/

US 221 U.S. Route 221 (US 221) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It travels from Perry, Florida, at US 19/ US 98/ US 27 Alternate to Lynchburg, Virginia, at US 29 Business ( Lynchburg Expressway). It travels through the st ...

) in Lake Shores, South Carolina *Newberry County/Saluda County ** Ninety-Six Highway ( SC 34) ** SC 39 in

Chappells, South Carolina Chappells (also Chappell, Chappells Bridge) is an unincorporated community, in Newberry and Saluda Counties, South Carolina, United States. The community was named after the local Chappell family of pioneer citizens. The Moon-Dominick House an ...

**Newberry Highway ( SC 121) *Lake Murray **Kempson Bridge Road ( SC 395) ** SC 391 near

Prosperity, South Carolina Prosperity is a town in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,178 at the 2020 U.S. census. History Before being named Prosperity, the area was called Frog Level due to its low-lying location and large numbers of ...

(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 ...

) **

( SC 6) *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 I-10 in Reeves County, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. B ...

Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W, US Route 11W (US 11W) ...

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 th ...

(footbridge)

Variant names

According to the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...

, the Saluda River has also been known as: *Chickawa *Corn River *Saludy River *Saluta River *Salutah River *

*Seleuda River The river is named after an Indian tribe that once lived along its banks near the community of Chappells,

Save Our Saluda

In 2008, a collective of local citizens (or Citizens Action Group) based in Marietta,

Greenville County, South Carolina Greenville County ( ; locally ) is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 525,534, making it the most populous county in the state. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is also home to ...

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 The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

of the Saluda

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

that are under imminent threat by dams, industry or development. The article, posted on

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

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."

Sources

Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
*

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