Savannah River

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For the Department of Energy facility, see Savannah River Site
Coordinates: 32°2′16″N 80°51′0″W / 32.03778°N 80.85°W / 32.03778; -80.85
Savannah River
River
Savannah River at Augusta (Augusta Canal running alongside)
Country United States
States South Carolina, Georgia
Tributaries
 - left Seneca River
 - right Tugaloo River
Cities Savannah, Augusta
Source Lake Hartwell
 - elevation 655 ft (200 m) [1]
 - coordinates 34°26′37″N 82°51′22″W / 34.44361°N 82.85611°W / 34.44361; -82.85611 [2]
Mouth Atlantic Ocean
 - location Tybee Roads
 - elevation ft (0 m) [1]
 - coordinates 32°2′16″N 80°51′0″W / 32.03778°N 80.85°W / 32.03778; -80.85 [2]
Length 350 mi (563 km)
Basin 9,850 sq mi (25,511 km2) [3]
Discharge for near Clyo, GA
 - average 11,720 cu ft/s (332 m3/s) [3]
Map of the Savannah River watershed
A cargo ship navigates the narrow Savannah River channel at Savannah
Savannah River at Riverwalk Augusta

The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the 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 350 miles (560 km) long. It is formed by the confluence of the Tugaloo River and the Seneca River. Today this confluence is submerged beneath Lake Hartwell. At the northwest branch of the river is located the Tallulah Gorge.

Two major cities are located along the Savannah River: Savannah, Georgia, and Augusta, Georgia. They were nuclei of early English settlements during the Colonial period of American history.

Through the building of several locks and dams, and upstream reservoirs like Lake Hartwell, also, the Savannah River is now navigable by freight barges between Augusta, Georgia, (on the Fall Line) and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Savannah River is tidal at Savannah, Georgia and downstream. From Savannah downstream, 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.

Contents

[edit] History

The Savannah River was very influential in the economic development of Georgia, and two major cities were founded on the river in the 18th century. Savannah, Georgia was established as a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean, and Augusta, Georgia is positioned where the river meets the fall line. Many decades ago, the sandy river bottom changed frequently, and that was the cause of numerous steamboat accidents in the nineteenth century. The two large cities on the Savannah served as Georgia's first two state capitals. The Savannah River also became significant in the 1950s when development commenced on the Savannah River Plant for making nuclear-weapons materials.

Historical and variant names of the Savannah River, as listed by the USGS, include May River, Westobou River (for the Westo tribe), Kosalu River, Isundiga River, and Girande River, among others.[2]

[edit] Natural history

The Savannah River flows through a variety of climates and ecosystems throughout its course. It is considered an alluvial river, draining a 10,577 square-mile 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 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 been moved by earthquakes and silting. Another prominent feature is the numerous large bluffs that line the river in some locations, most notably Yamacraw Bluff, the location selected to build the city of Savannah, Georgia. 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 transition of rare freshwater marshland into saltwater spartina marsh.

The river supports a large variety of native and introduced aquatic species:

[edit] Notable Tributaries

[edit] Crossings

This is a list of crossings of the Savannah River.

Crossing Carries Location

[edit] Front River

Talmadge Memorial Bridge U.S. 17 Savannah, Georgia and South Carolina
Houlihan Bridge S.R. 25 Savannah, Georgia and South Carolina

[edit] Back River

[edit] Savannah River

Seaboard Coastline Railroad Bridge Railroad Savannah, Georgia and South Carolina
Interstate 95 Bridge I-95 Savannah, Georgia and Hardeeville, South Carolina
Georgia Highway 119 Bridge GA Highway 119 Clyo, Georgia and Garnett, South Carolina
Burtons Ferry Bridge US 301 Sylvania, Georgia and Allendale, South Carolina
Sand Bar Ferry Bridge GA Highway 28 Augusta, Georgia and Beech Island, South Carolina
Bobby Jones Expressway/Palmetto Parkway Bridge Interstate 520 Augusta, Georgia and North Augusta, South Carolina
James U. Jackson Bridge U.S. 25 Augusta, Georgia and North Augusta, South Carolina
Jefferson Davis Highway Bridge U.S. Highway 1 Augusta, Georgia and North Augusta, South Carolina
5th Street Bridge 5th Street Augusta, Georgia and North Augusta, South Carolina
13th Street Bridge GA/SC Highway 25 Augusta, Georgia and North Augusta, South Carolina
Interstate 20 Bridge I-20 Augusta, Georgia and North Augusta, South Carolina
Furys Ferry Bridge GA/SC Highway 28 Evans, Georgia and South Carolina
Lake Strom Thurmond dam US 221 Rosemont, Georgia and Clarks Hill, South Carolina
McCormick Highway Dam US 378 Lincolnton, Georgia and McCormick, South Carolina
Calhoun Falls Highway Bridge over Lake Richard B. Russell GA/SC Highway 72 Georgia and Calhoun Falls, South Carolina
Elberton Highway Bridge over Lake Richard B. Russell SC Highway 184 Elberton, Georgia and Iva, South Carolina
Smith McGee Bridge SC Highway 181 Hartwell, Georgia and Iva, South Carolina
Hartwell Dam Bridge US 29 Hartwell, Georgia and Anderson, South Carolina
Lake Hartwell Bridge Interstate 85 Lavonia, Georgia and Fair Play, South Carolina
Toccoa Highway Bridge (old and new) US 123 Toccoa, Georgia and Westminster, South Carolina
Cleveland Pike Bridge Cleveland Pike Road Toccoa, Georgia and Westminster, South Carolina

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates.
  2. ^ a b c USGS GNIS: Savannah River
  3. ^ a b Water Resource Data, South Carolina, 2005, USGS, p. 559. Gages farther downriver affected by tides.