Savanna River?

Has anyone here ever gone up the Savanna River? We're always looking for interesting and out of the way places to go and this looks like just the ticket from the charts. Any experienced thoughts on taking a 43 foot, 4 foot draft, twin screw trawler way up into this country?

Last I checked the ACOE and USCG no longer maintain it above Savannah. You used to be able to go all the way to Augusta; you could try contacting one of the marinas there.

If you go by the Savanna River Project (SRP) look for glowing 3-headed turtles....LOL


Augusta has locks but are they operational? Then there is Lake Clark Dam.

Wifey B: The New Savannah Augusta Lock is no longer operating. At one time it was used for commercial traffic.

Still you can go nearly 200 miles up the river. Just depends on the current depth of the water. Normally pretty good but times it gets shallow. We've had a blast taking RIB's up the river but were limited by fuel as to how far we could go. There are boat ramps at various places and fishermen launch from them. No marinas though. You would just have to check on depths before going and remain very attentive plus keep in mind your fuel needs. We love playing around in the Savannah River and checking out all the islands and seeing the incredible wildlife refuge but we do it in jet RIB's with very little draft. Still, checking depths in advance and being aware you should have a nice trip up the river.

I wish it was like it once was and you could go all the way to Augusta. What to do with the Lock and Dam has been a matter of great debate and a law passed in 2016 confuses it more. You'll see some antebellum plantations if you go far enough. I read of people making the whole trip from Augusta 10 and 15 years ago.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

If you go by the Savanna River Project (SRP) look for glowing 3-headed turtles....LOL


Augusta has locks but are they operational? Then there is Lake Clark Dam.

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Wifey B: Lock not operational. Clark Hill or Strom Thurmond is on above Augusta so you won't reach it.

BandB said:

Wifey B: Lock not operational. Clark Hill or Strom Thurmond is on above Augusta so you won't reach it.

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I have fished many times as a kid below the dam. Wish the locks still worked. Locals call it Clark Dam and refuse to call it by the other name....

If you go don’t eat the fish caught immediately downstream from the Savannah River Site. 25 years ago It was my job to read all the declassified reports for the facility for patentability considerations. The bassomatic was used to Check radiation levels in fish. And there were some eye openers on downstream radiation.

Glow in the dark fish and turtles......

Mkeller said:

If you go don’t eat the fish caught immediately downstream from the Savannah River Site. 25 years ago It was my job to read all the declassified reports for the facility for patentability considerations. The bassomatic was used to Check radiation levels in fish. And there were some eye openers on downstream radiation.

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Do we really think data from 25 years ago is still valid?

BandB said:

Do we really think data from 25 years ago is still valid?

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Pretty much, yes. I still have family members that work at SRP.

BandB said:

Do we really think data from 25 years ago is still valid?

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Heck, the papers I read were sometimes decades old. The problem was our military industrial sites were exempt from the laws and regs the rest of us have to obey.

Do I believe they still have issues? Absolutely.

BandB said:

Do we really think data from 25 years ago is still valid?

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If the issue is substances with half lives measured in centuries or millennia, it’s possible. Nice to know some specifics.

Savannah River (2017)

Some data for the savannah River was provided by the*Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Some fish also contain the*radioisotopes*cesium-137 and strontium-90.


DHEC: Savannah River Fish Consumption Advisory

psneeld said:

Savannah River (2017)

Some data for the savannah River was provided by the*Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Some fish also contain the*radioisotopes*cesium-137 and strontium-90.


DHEC: Savannah River Fish Consumption Advisory

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As did milk from downstream dairy farms....