ACE [Ashley-Combahee-Edisto] River Basin Cooperative Study: Water and Land Resources

Excerpts from the report: The Ashley-Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin is a triangular shaped area of 4,475,876 acres in southern South Carolina. The basin boundary can be defined roughly as a line from the Savannah Harbor, northwest to Batesburg, southeast to Charleston and then southwesterly along the coast back to the Savannah Harbor. Four counties (Bamberg, Beaufort, Colleton and Dorchester) are located entirely within the basin. Twelve other counties partially within the basin are Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, Lexington, Orangeburg and Saluda. The ACE Basin is bordered by the Santee Basin on the northeast, the Savannah Basin on the southwest, and the Atlantic Ocean on the southeast. Almost half of the area is drained by the Edisto River, 40 percent by the Combahee and other tidal rivers, and the remaining 10 percent by the Ashley River. These rivers represent individual hydrologic units draining into the Atlantic Ocean. The overall purpose of the study is directed toward improvement in the quality of life through contributions to the objectives of national economic development and environmental quality. Broadly, the objectives are to provide a guide for federal, state and local interests to conserve, develop and utilize their water and related land resources in an efficient and timely manner. The report of the study includes inventories of natural and economic resources, future without development projections, problems and needs, alternative solutions that will help meet needs, a preferred plan and opportunities for USDA programs and other agency programs to carry out the preferred plan.