The Great Falls of the Catawba River
The Great Falls of the Catawba River mark
the point at which the river encounters a series of
rapids while coursing across the Piedmont Plateau on
the border of Lancaster County, South Carolina,
and Chester County, South Carolina, near
the town of Great Falls. Prior to the creation
of the Fishing Creek Reservoir and other
artificial lakes by Duke Power, the falls were
a major landmark on the river. The rapids could
be heard from long distances away, while a major
pre-Columbian trading path ran near the left bank.
Historically the Great Falls of the Catawba were
approximately 4 miles long, with a total elevation
drop of 121 feet. (The word "falls" was an 18th
century appellation, when any river rapids and
vertical waterfalls alike were both referred to as falls.)
The creation of the dams at Great Falls, South Carolina
has resulted in the top 2 miles of it being completely
dry (dewatered) except during times of very high flow.
The bottom portion of historical Great Falls is drowned
by Cedar Creek dam, another hydroelectric project.
As of 2006, interest groups have formed in the Carolinas
to restore the Great Falls by altering the dam and
restoring flow to the dewatered stretch of Great Falls
as part of a major restoration project of the Catawba River.
As of 2007, a new licensing arrangement has been agreed
to by Duke Energy and several interested parties.
Below the Great Falls, the river flows into Lake Wateree
where it becomes the Wateree River.
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