03060103-07 (Savannah River/Lake Thurmond)

General Description The South Carolina portion of watershed 03060103-07 (formerly 03060103-100 plus the Little River Arm from 03060103-140) is located in Abbeville, McCormick, and Edgefield Counties and consists primarily of the Savannah River and its tributaries as it flows through Lake J. Strom Thurmond. This Savannah River watershed extends into Georgia. There are 316,144 acres in the extended watershed; 201,296 acres or 63.7% are outside of South Carolina. The South Carolina portion is within the Piedmont physiographic region. Land use/land cover in the South Carolina portion of the watershed includes: 64.5% forested land, 18.5% water, 8.5% agricultural land, 7.1% urban land, 1.8% barren land, and 0.6% forested wetland (swamp). A map depicting this watershed is found in Appendix B, page B-25. The Savannah River flows out of the Richard B. Russell Dam and into Lake Thurmond, where it accepts drainage from Coffer Creek and Russells Creek. The Broad River* and Pistol Creek* drain into the lake next from the Georgia side. All tributaries from the Georgia side of the Savannah River will be connoted with an asterisk. Further downstream, Patterson Creek enters the lake followed by Fishing Creek*, Lees Branch, Harmon Branch, Murray Creek*, another Patterson Creek, and Soap Creek*. The Little River watershed enters Lake Thurmond next forming an arm of the lake. Streams draining into this impounded portion of Little River include Wilson Spring Creek, Horse Branch, Ludlow Branch, Mill Creek, the impounded portion of Long Cane Creek (Linkay Creek, Bold Branch (Persimmon Branch, Little Persimmon Branch, Rocky Branch, Tanyard Branch, Horton Branch, Morrah Branch, Welch Creek, Mathias Creek), Buffalo Creek (Vall Branch, Taylor Branch, Engevine Branch), and Baker Creek. The Little River is followed by Hawe Creek (Jester Branch), Wells Creek*, Benningsfield Creek, Landam Branch, Shriver Creek*, and Dordon Creek. At the lower end of the lake, Reese Branch flows into the lake followed by Howell Branch, Little River*, Lake Spring Creek*, and Scott Creek. There are a total of 750.2 stream miles and 41,345.3 acres of lake waters in this extended watershed, all classified FW. Hickory Knob State Resort Area, Baker Creek State Park, and Hamilton Branch State Recreation Area are all located along the shoreline of Lake Thurmond.

Surface Water Quality Station # Type Class Description CL-040 W FW LAKE THURMOND HEADWATERS (SAVANNAH RIVER) RL-05405 RL05 FW LAKE THURMOND, 1.25 MI S OF THE END OF S-33-337 RL-05407 RL05 FW LAKE THURMOND, 0.3 MI S OF BOATRAMP AT THE END OF S-33-366 RL-03357 RL03 FW LAKE THURMOND, HICKORY KNOB ST PARK OPP PATTERSON CREEK RL-05463 RL05 FW LAKE THURMOND, 0.67 MI NW OF US 378 SV-291 W FW LAKE THURMOND AT US 378, 7 MI SW OF MCCORMICK CL-039 W FW LITTLE RIVER ARM OF LAKE THURMOND RS-03510 RS03/BIO FW BAKER CREEK TRIB AT S-33-329 IN BAKER CREEK STATE PARK

SV-819 SSS FW HAWE CREEK IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM OF SV-817 & SV-818 SV-818 SSS FW HAWE CREEK TRIBUTARY AT STREAM MOUTH SV-817 SSS FW HAWE CREEK TRIBUTARY AT STREAM MOUTH SV-066 SSS FW HAWE CREEK AT SECONDARY ROAD 44 RL-05405 RL05 FW LAKE THURMOND HEADWATERS (SAVANNAH RIVER) RL-05405 RL05 FW LAKE THURMOND HEADWATERS (SAVANNAH RIVER) CL-041 W FW LAKE THURMOND IN FOREBAY NEAR DAM

Lake Thurmond – There are nine SCDHEC monitoring stations along Lake Thurmond (CL-040, RL-05405, RL-05407, RL-03357, RL-05463, SV-291, RL-06423, RL-04385, CL-041) and aquatic life and recreational uses are fully supported at all sites. At SV-291, there is however, a significant increasing trend in five-day biochemical oxygen demand. Significant decreasing trends in turbidity, total phosphorus concentration, and fecal coliform bacteria concentration suggest improving conditions for these parameters at this site. At the furthest downlake site (CL- 041), there is a significant increasing trend in pH. A significant decreasing trend in turbidity suggests improving conditions for this parameter at this site.

Little River arm of Lake Thurmond (CL-039) – Aquatic life and recreational uses are fully supported.

Tributary to Baker Creek (RS-03510) – Aquatic life uses are fully supported based on macroinvertebrate community data and recreational uses are fully supported.

Hawe Creek – There are two SCDHEC monitoring stations along Hawe Creek (SV-819, SV- 066). These are special study stations and only examined aquatic life uses. Aquatic life uses are fully supported at both sites.

Hawe Creek Tributary – There are two SCDHEC monitoring stations along the Hawe Creek tributary (SV-818, SV-817). These are special study stations and only examined aquatic life uses. Aquatic life uses are fully supported at both sites. Although pH excursions occurred at SV-818, due to the small sample size, aquatic life uses are considered fully supported.

A fish consumption advisory has been issued by the Department for mercury and includes the Savannah River and Lake Thurmond within this watershed (see advisory p. 84).

Natural Swimming Areas FACILITY NAME PERMIT # RECEIVING STREAM STATUS

BAKERS CREEK STATE PARK 35-N01 LITTLE RIVER ARM, LAKE THURMOND ACTIVE

Groundwater Quality Well # Class Aquifer Location AMB-106 GB PIEDMONT BEDROCK HAMILTON BRANCH

All water samples collected from ambient monitoring well AMB-106 met standards for Class GB groundwater.

NPDES Program Active NPDES Facilities RECEIVING STREAM NPDES# FACILITY NAME TYPE

LAKE THURMOND SC0021466 SCPRT/HAMILTON BRANCH MINOR DOMESTIC

Nonpoint Source Management Program Land Disposal Activities Landfill Facilities LANDFILL NAME PERMIT # FACILITY TYPE STATUS

MCCORMICK COUNTY LC&D LANDFILL 331002-1701 C & D ACTIVE

BARITE HILL GOLD MINE LANDFILL 332338-1601 INDUSTRIAL INACTIVE

Water Quantity WATER USER TOTAL PUMP. CAP (MGD) STREAM RATED PUMP CAP (MGD)

MCCORMICK CPW 5.4 LITTLE RIVER ARM OF LAKE THURMOND 2.7

Growth Potential There is a low potential for growth in this watershed, which contains portions of the Towns of McCormick, Plum Branch, and Parksville, and the communities of Mount Carmel and Modoc. The Town of McCormick has experienced a population growth with the establishment of a State Prison near the town. Growth has occurred around the Savannah Lakes Village Development, a retirement village, on Lake Thurmond, and may encourage more in the future. The majority of the watershed resides within the Sumter National Forest and would tend to limit growth. le Savannah River/ il k ev ic b b rm A o C B Lake Thurmond c o P l M d e r Calhoun Falls s i State Rec Area m Watershed m k B C r o r n ffe B o R r C oc ky (03060103-07) Ck s B xt ll r Te se Rus W e B

l o

c l

h d

C * # 28 «¬ k Ck CL-040 n r B Ck kay C B r n so Li k r H w e 81 o t o l t «¬ r B se r d a u

P L e

M an ill g C * # n Br

o k L C RL-05405 ll C L a k it V tl e Br or

ayl

R T

i v o * # l *

# e r a

r f

B f RL-05407 s u e r B

La Le B

k n McCormick

e o

m 0 * ar RS-035# 10 Ck ¤£378

T H B er

h ak

u

r k M 331002-1701 m * # Baker Creek o C

nd !m State Park SV-819 SV-818

L * SV-817 i * # * SV-066 # * # t #

35-N01 tle

RL-03357 M 332338-1601

* # we

R a

i *

# v H k e Sumter C

RL-05463 r ld 28 National e «¬ fi SV-291 Forest s g Plum nin en

B Branch

0 ® * # Macroinvertebrate Stations Interstates

* # Water Quality Monitoring Stations Railroad Lines * # k

Approved TMDL Highways RL-06423 C

*# * # Groundwater Monitoring Stations County Lines Special Study Stations Modeled Stream n B do Parksville Mines Stream or D M Landfills Wetland Lake «¬28 (! NPDES Permits 10-Digit Hydrologic Units Hamilton Branch Lake State Rec Area X Land Application Permits Cities/Towns Thurmond

!m Natural Swimming Areas Public Lands (! *# AMB-106

SC0021466

* RL-04385 #

Sumter National Forest

¤£221

* #

CL-041

Miles B-25 0 1 2 4 6 8