Edisto River
Encyclopedia
The Edisto River is the longest completely undammed / unleveed blackwater river
in North America
, flowing 206 meandering miles from its sources in Saluda
and Edgefield
counties, to its Atlantic Ocean
mouth at Edisto Beach, SC. It rises in two main tributaries (North Fork & South Fork) from springs under the Sandhills
region of West Central South Carolina
, just to the south of the Piedmont
fall line
. It is the longest and largest river system completely contained by the borders of South Carolina
. Its name comes from the Edisto subtribe of the Cusabo
Indians.
Near the coast, part of the river was once known as the Ponpon River. The Dawhoo River (sometimes Dawho, or Dawhoe) connects the Edisto to the North Edisto River, where the Wadmalaw River and the Toogoodoo River confluence and meet the Atlantic Ocean. Between the coast and the Dawhoo River, the river is known as the South Edisto River.
The Edisto system flows through only one major town or city, Orangeburg
, the location of Edisto Gardens (on the North Fork). The river system, being blackwater throughout its entire length, flows through highly intermittent bottom swampland. Thus, during an excessively rainy season, the river will leave its main channel, with its flow basin increasing to over a mile or more of total width. The lower Edisto basin forms a crucial part of the ACE Basin
, an area that encompasses its bottomlands confluence with the Ashepoo and Combahee river basins.
A major tributary is Four Holes Swamp
, which is unique in that it has no single defined channel, but rather a network of braided channels.
Blackwater river
A blackwater river is a river with a deep, slow-moving channel that flows through forested swamps and wetlands. As vegetation decays in the water, tannins are leached out, resulting in transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling tea or coffee. Most major blackwater rivers are in...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, flowing 206 meandering miles from its sources in Saluda
Saluda
Saluda may refer to:* Saluda, Indiana* Saluda, North Carolina* Saluda, South Carolina* Saluda County, South Carolina* Saluda, Virginia* Saluda people, a Native-American Indian tribe formerly in South Carolina* Saluda River, in South Carolina...
and Edgefield
Edgefield
Edgefield may refer to:* Edgefield, Norfolk, United KingdomIn the United States:* Edgefield, Louisiana* Edgefield, South Carolina* Edgefield County, South Carolina...
counties, to its Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
mouth at Edisto Beach, SC. It rises in two main tributaries (North Fork & South Fork) from springs under the Sandhills
Sandhills (Carolina)
The Sandhills is a region in the interior of the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. It is a strip of ancient beach dunes which generally divides the Piedmont from the coastal plain, and is the evidence of a former coastline when the ocean level was higher, or the land lower. The...
region of West Central South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, just to the south of the Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
. It is the longest and largest river system completely contained by the borders of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Its name comes from the Edisto subtribe of the Cusabo
Cusabo
The Cusabo were a group of historic Native American tribes who lived along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in what is now South Carolina, approximately between present-day Charleston and south to the Savannah River, at the time of European encounter. English colonists often referred to them as the...
Indians.
Near the coast, part of the river was once known as the Ponpon River. The Dawhoo River (sometimes Dawho, or Dawhoe) connects the Edisto to the North Edisto River, where the Wadmalaw River and the Toogoodoo River confluence and meet the Atlantic Ocean. Between the coast and the Dawhoo River, the river is known as the South Edisto River.
The Edisto system flows through only one major town or city, Orangeburg
Orangeburg, South Carolina
Orangeburg, also known as "The Garden City," is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city is also the fifth oldest city in the state of South Carolina. The city population was 12,765 at the 2000 census, within a Greater Orangeburg...
, the location of Edisto Gardens (on the North Fork). The river system, being blackwater throughout its entire length, flows through highly intermittent bottom swampland. Thus, during an excessively rainy season, the river will leave its main channel, with its flow basin increasing to over a mile or more of total width. The lower Edisto basin forms a crucial part of the ACE Basin
ACE Basin
The ACE Basin is one of the largest undeveloped estuaries along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Located primarily in Colleton and Beaufort counties in South Carolina, the ACE Basin is an acronym that represents the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers, which combine into the larger St....
, an area that encompasses its bottomlands confluence with the Ashepoo and Combahee river basins.
A major tributary is Four Holes Swamp
Four Holes Swamp
Four Holes Swamp is a small blackwater river that is a tributary to the Edisto River in South Carolina. The swamp rises in Calhoun County and flows to the confluence, in an unusual braided pattern; it has no well-defined channel, but multiple channels that start and disappear, yet maintain a...
, which is unique in that it has no single defined channel, but rather a network of braided channels.
See also
- List of National Wildlife Refuges
- Waterways forming and crossings of the Atlantic Intracoastal WaterwayWaterways forming and crossings of the Atlantic Intracoastal WaterwayThis is a list of waterways that form the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and crossings across it.-Florida:* Florida Bay* Baker Cut * Buttonwood Sound* Grouper Creek* Tarpon Basin* Dusenberg Creek* Blackwater Sound...