Public Hearing Notification

Alpine Utilities is a small private utility that operates a wastewater treatment plant that discharges into Stoop Creek, a tributary to the lower Saluda River.  Alpine Utilities has been responsible for a number of discharge violations, including a well publicized sewage discharge in the summer of 2008. 

After meeting with officials from DHEC and the City of Columbia, I have learned how significant of a threat cooking grease can be for our sewer systems and ultimately our waterways. 

More than 18,000 trout are being released today (December 1, 2009) into the lower Saluda River by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. 

The town of Batesburg-Leesville has been struggling with water supply and quality issues for the past few years.  The town's dwindling water supply is a major issue in their upcoming mayoral election.  The current mayor of Batesburg-Leesville is proposing to quench their water shortage by pumping water from Lake Murray and piping it approximately 15 miles back to the town.

Congaree Riverkeeper Engages in SCE&G Hydropower Relicensing Proceeding

The streamflow of the Lower Saluda River is controlled by releases from the SCE&G Saluda Hydroelectric Project, otherwise known as Lake Murray. The operation of the Saluda Project affects water temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, instream flows, fish and wildlife habitat, and public safety on the Lower Saluda River. To advocate for protection of these interests, the Congaree Riverkeeper moved to intervene in the relicensing proceeding before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) so that we become a party with rights to dispute FERC's relicensing decision if we so choose.

Read The State Newspaper's coverage of the Congaree Riverkeeper...

The Congaree Riverkeeper is a non-profit organization incorporated under South Carolina law, and since August 2009, governed by a Board of Directors. The Board is made up of enthusiastic, hardworking individuals dedicated to the success of the Congaree Riverkeeper.

Alan Mehrzad is an avid outdoorsman who spent much of his teenage years trout fishing and camping in his home state of Virginia. In 2001, he arrived in Columbia to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Marine Science at the University of South Carolina.

 Here are some photos of the Lower Saluda River taken by Brian Taylor