News Release

Proposed State Scenic River Designation

The public is invited to review the drafts of the

Draft - Catawba River Elgibility Study for the SC Scenic River Program (file size 468KB - Adobe PDF)
Draft - Lynches River Eligibility Study for the SC Scenic Rivers Program (file size 458KB - Adobe PDF).

A 30-mile segment of the Catawba River in Chester, Lancaster, and York Counties is being considered for designation as a State Scenic River under the South Carolina Scenic Rivers Act (1989). The proposed State Scenic River starts below the Lake Wylie dam and extends downstream to the SC Highway #9 Bridge.

We are also considering a 54-mile segment of the lower Lynches River from the downstream end of Lynches River County Park to the confluence with the Great Pee Dee River in Florence County, South Carolina.

Three public meetings for the Catawba River are scheduled to inform the public and address questions and concerns regarding the proposed scenic river. All interested citizens are encouraged to attend. All Catawba River meetings will begin at 7:00 PM and end around 9:00 PM. The first public meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 28, 2008 in the Stevens Auditorium on the campus of USC-L in Lancaster, South Carolina; the second public meeting for the Catawba River will be on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at the Town Hall Community Center behind the police office on Highway #9 in Fort Lawn, South Carolina; and the third meeting will be Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at the Rock Hill Town Hall Council Chambers at 155 Johnston Street, parking is available on Johnston Street. Please use the Hampton Street entrance for this meeting.

The public meeting for Lynches River in Florence County, which will inform the public and address questions and concerns regarding the proposed scenic river, is scheduled for 7:00 PM on Monday January 28, 2008 at the Johnsonville City Hall, 111 West Broadway Street in Johnsonville, South Carolina. All interested citizens are encouraged to attend.

The purpose of the State Scenic Rivers Program is to conserve and protect unique and outstanding river resources throughout South Carolina. To accomplish this purpose, a volunteer, cooperative, and non regulatory management program has been created which involves landowners, community interests, and the Department of Natural Resources working together to conserve and protect designated scenic river corridors. Designating a State Scenic River requires legislative action by the South Carolina General Assembly; however, the designation process begins at the local level and the DNR seeks the support of the local citizens, landowners, and the municipal and county governments of the affected counties during the eligibility process.

For more information contact:

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Land, Water, and Conservation Division
P.O. Box 167, Suite 360
Columbia SC 29202
Telephone # 803-734-9111

Project Manager:

Catawba River — Mary Crockett
Lynches River — Stuart Greeter

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South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Rembert C. Dennis Building, 1000 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201