Savannah River

Savannah River
Tugaloo River
Savannah River at Augusta, with the Augusta Canal running alongside
Map of the Savannah River watershed
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
CitiesSavannah, Augusta
Physical characteristics
SourceLake Hartwell
 • coordinates34°26′37″N 82°51′22″W / 34.44361°N 82.85611°W / 34.44361; -82.85611[1]
 • elevation655 ft (200 m)[2]
MouthAtlantic Ocean
 • location
Tybee Roads
 • coordinates
32°2′16″N 80°51′0″W / 32.03778°N 80.85000°W / 32.03778; -80.85000[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)[2]
Length301 mi (484 km)
Basin size9,850 sq mi (25,500 km2)[3]
Discharge 
 • locationnear Clyo, GA[3]
 • average11,720 cu ft/s (332 m3/s)[3]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftSeneca River
 • rightTugaloo River
Map
Talmadge Memorial Bridge in Savannah
A cargo ship navigates the narrow channel at Savannah

The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the state border. The Savannah River drainage basin extends into the southeastern side of the Appalachian Mountains just inside North Carolina, bounded by the Eastern Continental Divide. The river is around 301 miles (484 km) long.[4] The Savannah was formed by the confluence of the Tugaloo River and the Seneca River. Today this confluence is part of Lake Hartwell. The Tallulah Gorge is located on the Tallulah River, a tributary of the Tugaloo River that forms the northwest branch of the Savannah River.

Two major cities are located along the Savannah River: Savannah and Augusta, Georgia. They were nuclei of early English settlements during the Colonial period of American history.

The Savannah River is tidal at Savannah proper. Downstream from there, the river broadens into an estuary before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. The area where the river's estuary meets the ocean is known as "Tybee Roads". The Intracoastal Waterway flows through a section of the Savannah River near the city of Savannah.

  1. ^ a b "Savannah River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates.
  3. ^ a b c Water Resource Data, South Carolina, 2005 Archived March 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, USGS, p. 559. Gages farther downriver affected by tides.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 26, 2011