The Saluda-Reedy Watershed Project

     The Saluda-Reedy Watershed Consortium continues into its fourth year as a collaborative effort to protect and improve water quality in the rapidly urbanizing 1165-square mile Saluda-Reedy watershed. 

The first two years of this project – from July 2003 to June 2005 – were dedicated largely to building the foundation for a long-term effort to improve management of water resources. This foundation consisted of three parts: scientific research, community leadership, and public awareness. Past Advocate articles have reported on progress made in these efforts and the role they played in establishing a solid basis for the advocacy work that is now taking place. 

While Upstate Forever continues to serve as the project coordinator for the Consortium as a whole, we have expanded our role in the past year to include programmatic work as well.

State of the Watershed 2005

After more than two years of data gathering and analysis, the Saluda-Reedy Watershed has become the best-studied watershed in the state. In order to clearly communicate these findings to decision makers and community leaders throughout the region, a summary report entitled State of the Watershed 2005 was developed by project partners at Upstate Forever and released in February 2006.

To ensure that this report did not simply sit on shelves and gather dust, we developed an ambitious plan to distribute more than 3,000 copies of this report by early summer.  Initially the report was given to the more than 180 attendees of the second Watershed Leaders Forum held on February 14.  In the following weeks, the report and a letter of introduction were mailed to over 1,000 people, including elected officials, city, county and state agency employees, regional conservation partners, and community leaders throughout the watershed.  Another 1,000 reports have also been distributed through the county libraries, chambers of commerce, and outfitters. Meanwhile, Jennifer Rennicks, Watershed Project Coordinator, and Brad Wyche, Upstate Forever’s Executive Director, delivered copies of the report to the editorial staff and boards of seven area newspapers and answered questions about the issues it raises and the solutions it offers.

Feedback has been very positive and several articles featuring the report have run in regional newspapers such as the Greenwood Index-Journal and the Laurens County Advertiser. The State of the Watershed 2005 is available online at www.saludareedy.org/research/sotw_report.pdf. For a printed copy, contact Jennifer Rennicks at (864) 250-0500 x34 or jrennicks@upstateforever.org.

Watershed Tours and Water Quality Field Trips

This spring, SRWC launched a series of educational tours and field trips. Watershed Tours are aimed at our region’s community leaders and decision-makers and provide a general introduction to issues related to water conservation. The Water Quality Field Trips enable water quality professionals to visit innovative, cost effective water quality programs.  Another series of tours and field trips will take place this fall — stay tuned! For more information, visit 
www.saludareedy.org/events.html.