Reedy River Report Card

The Reedy, like most rivers, is very different throughout its reach. It starts with spring-fed streams in Travelers Rest. The river then grows in size and velocity as it courses through increasingly urban landscapes through the City of Greenville to Lake Conestee (a current Brownfields site). This reach includes two wastewater treatment plant discharges and two more dams (Cedar Shoals and Boyd's Millpond), ending at Lake Greenwood, where Greenwood and Laurens get their drinking water. Within Lake Greenwood, the Reedy River joins the Saluda River, combining as one of our state’s eight major river basins.

A waterway and its quality mirrors the landscape within which it flows. Not only is the Reedy’s water quality affected by diverse landscapes and inputs along its path, water quality in the river changes dramatically with the weather. Rain events produce runoff which generally degrades water quality, but these impacts are only experienced for a small percentage of the year.

In addition, the State of South Carolina does not have nutrient standards for creeks/rivers. The standards that South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) uses for the Reedy are actually lake standards. Rivers and lakes behave differently, especially when it comes to nutrients.