The headwaters of the Savannah River originate in the mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia near Ellicott Rock, the point where the borders of those three states meet. In the western part of the upper basin the Chatooga and the Tallulah Rivers meet to form the Tugaloo River. In the eastern part, the confluence of Twelve Mile Creek and the Keowee River form the Seneca River. In the upper reaches of Lake Hartwell the Seneca and Tugaloo Rivers join to form the Savannah.

From the headwaters to the Atlantic Ocean near Savannah, GA, the waters travel about 300 miles through four physiographic regions, blue ridge mountains, piedmont, upper coastal plain and lower coastal plain. Ecosystems within the basin include agricultural systems, upland forests, bottomland hardwoods, pine plantations, free flowing streams, water impoundments, swamps, and freshwater and marine marshes. Much of the water in the upper basin is retained in several large impoundments. The lower part of the basin is characterized by a meandering course with relatively few tributaries and slow currents. Tidal action influences water levels and flows about 45 miles upriver from the mouth.

The Savannah River forms in Lake Hartwell with the confluence of the Seneca and the Tugaloo Rivers. It drains a watershed of 10,577 square miles in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and flows 300 miles through forests, agricultural lands, large artificial impoundments, and swamps before emptying into the Atlantic

 

River Maps:

 

"The Savannah River Basin: Portions of the basin are in North Carolina, South carolina and Georgia. Interstates 85, 20 and 95 give perspective to the basin's 10,577 square miles. Map produced by the US EPA. 

EPA defined sub-basins of the Savannah River basin with subbasin defining HUC numbers: The HUC for the Savannah basin is 30601. The more numbers in the HUC number the further removed from the River it is. Map produced by the US EPA.

Ecoregions of the Savannah River basin with 7 digit HUC numbers: Map produced by the US EPA.

NALC image of the Savannah River basin about 1970: Note Augusta and Savannah (light areas) and the Savannah River Site (dark area). Image borrowed from the US EPA.

The headwaters of the Savannah River arise in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Northeast Georgia and Northwest South Carolina: The Chattooga, which shares all three states and forms the northernmost border between Georgia and South Carolina, combines with the Tallulah River to form the Tugaloo, which continues the border between Georgia and South Carolina. Image borrowed from the US EPA.

   

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