The General Health of the River

The news is encouraging! The river is getting better every year, and we have come a long way since the days of the Rainbow Reedy! The river’s health has significantly progressed since 1972, which is the year the Clean Water Act passed into legislation.

This chart  shows the significant drop in phosphorus in Boyd's Millpond on the Reedy River. Phosphorus levels are now comparable to other local lakes.

Water quality in the Reedy River and the lakes it feeds, such as Boyd's Millpond, are similar and in some cases better than other rivers in the Upstate.

Lake total phosphorus chart

Stormwater and wastewater programs

Greenville County, The City of Greenville, and SC Department of Transportation maintain SCDHEC compliant stormwater programs to address many sources of pollutants to reduce potential impacts to the river.

ReWa operates two water resource recovery facilities that treat wastewater from the City and the County and discharge to the river. Their discharges comply with permits and standards required by SCDHEC to ensure that protection of public health and the water quality of the Reedy.

additional efforts

The County, City, ReWa, and conservation organizations including Friends of the Reedy River and Upstate Forever are active and voluntary leaders in the Reedy River Water Quality Group. This group leads Reedy River watershed efforts with SCDHEC and USEPA that specifically target nutrients.

Wastewater and industrial plants also have SCDHEC permits to ensure they are not negatively impacting the Reedy.