What is a watershed? The region draining into a river, river system, or other body of water. • It's South Carolina's largest impaired urban watershed. • It contains over 70 miles of streams. • It covers over 47,000 acres of land. • The population is 140,000. • It is represented by multiple jurisdictions. • It includes parts of Columbia, Forest Acres, Fort Jackson, and Arcadia Lakes. • Urbanization is causing negative impacts to water quality, including excessive sedimentation • The headwaters start above Sesquicentennial State Park and flow into the Congaree River below Columbia.

An aerial view of Lake Katharine when lake levels were down. This site is where Gills Creek feeds into the lake at Woodlake Dr. (near Richland Fashion Mall). Since the lake is near the bottom of the watershed, it collects much of the watershed's pollution. Photos by Elliot Powell We are all impacting the health of the watershed regardless

of where you live within the watershed. This isn't a lake

homeowner's issue... it's the total communities responsibility.

Gills Creek Watershed Association