Winding its way from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina to central South Carolina, the Catawba-Wateree River Basin contains eleven reservoirs, fourteen dams, and supplies roughly two million people with drinking water. Home to the world's largest colony of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies, a National Wilderness Area (Linville Gorge) and a National Park (Congaree National Park) the Catawba-Wateree River is a treasured natural resource. The river basin is 225 miles long and contains 5,000 miles of waterways. The Catawba-Wateree basin reaches twenty-four counties in both North and South Carolina.
When a body of water is relied upon so heavily by people and businesses, there are going to be negative impacts. The Catawba-Wateree River is one of the country's most endangered waterways. The Union of Concerned Scientists has acknowledged the Catawba-Wateree's place at the fourth most stressed river from power production in the United States. Despite these challenges, the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation and its loyal members are fighting to reverse those negative impacts and ensure clean, plentiful water for future generations.
The Catawba-Wateree River Basin is a large watershed with 5,000 square miles of waterways and more than two million people living in it. We created this interactive map to help acquaint you with the basin. Where does your water come from? Where does it go? Where can I recreate? Who represents me in the legislature? These questions and more will be answered in our interactive map! If you notice errors or have any questions about the map, please contact sam@catawbariverkeeper.org.
Explore our interactive map of the Catawba River below or click here to open the map in a new window.