# Chauga River > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chauga_River > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chauga_River.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauga_River > Source revision: 1321186154 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) The **Chauga River** is a 31.3-mile (50.4-kilometre)[1] tributary of the [Tugaloo River](/source/Tugaloo_River) in [Oconee County, South Carolina](/source/Oconee_County,_South_Carolina).[2] ## Course The Chauga River's source is the confluence of [Village Creek](/source/Village_Creek_(South_Carolina)) and East Village Creek about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of present-day [Mountain Rest, South Carolina](/source/Mountain_Rest,_South_Carolina), in the Andrew Pickens Ranger District of the [Sumter National Forest](/source/Sumter_National_Forest). A little more than 1 mile (1.6 km) downstream, it is joined by Jerry Creek, which flows from Lake Becky and [Oconee State Park](/source/Oconee_State_Park). Cassidy Bridge crosses it at the Cassidy Bridge Primitive Camp, after which it is joined by Cedar Creek and Rocky Fork Creek. After it is crossed by [U.S. Route 76](/source/U.S._Route_76_in_South_Carolina), it is joined by Ramsey Creek at Chau Ram County Park. This was founded by owner and proprietor Michael Shead. There the river goes over a waterfall at the park and is crossed by a pedestrian suspension bridge. It flows south to [Lake Hartwell](/source/Lake_Hartwell), which was formed by damming the [Tugaloo River](/source/Tugaloo_River) and the [Seneca River](/source/Seneca_River_(South_Carolina)). ## Watershed The 11-digit hydrologic unit code for the watershed is 03060102-120. The watershed covers 70,768 acres (28,639 ha). The average [terrain slope](/source/Grade_(slope)) is 22.3%. About 93% of the watershed is forested and 5% is agricultural land.[3] A map of the watershed is available.[4] The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has classified the Chauga River watershed upstream of about 1 mile (1.6 km) above [US Highway 76](/source/US_Highway_76), except for Jerry Creek, as an "Outstanding Water Resource (ORW)." The lower part of the river is classified as "freshwaters suitable for primary and secondary contact recreation and as a source for drinking water supply after conventional treatment (FW)." A small permitted wastewater discharge is located at Oconee State Park on Jerry Creek. The city of [Westminster](/source/Westminster,_South_Carolina) has water supply intakes on the Chauga River and on Ramsey Creek.[3] ## Recreation The Chauga River is a popular fishing area for [rainbow trout](/source/Rainbow_trout), [brown trout](/source/Brown_trout), [chubs](/source/Chubs), and [redeye bass](/source/Redeye_bass). The Cassidy Bridge area offers parking and access. The warmer reaches of the river have [largemouth bass](/source/Largemouth_bass), [bluegill](/source/Bluegill), and [catfish](/source/Catfish).[5] Sections of the Chauga River are popular for [whitewater kayaking](/source/Whitewater_kayaking). The most adventurous section starts at Cassidy Bridge, which is a 9.8-mile (15.8-kilometre) section that is rated up to [Class IV](/source/International_Scale_of_River_Difficulty) at high water.[6] ## References 1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [The National Map](http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120329155652/http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/) 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 26, 2011 1. ["Chauga River"](https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1247261). *Geographic Names Information Service*. U.S. Geological Survey. 13 July 1980. Retrieved 19 December 2009. 1. ["03060102-120 (Chauga River)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100601233604/http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/water/shed/text/60102-120.pdf). *Watersheds and TMDLS*. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Archived from [the original](http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/water/shed/text/60102-120.pdf) on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2009. 1. ["Chauga River Watershed"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100601233812/http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/water/shed/maps/60102-120.pdf) (pdf). *Watersheds and TMDLS*. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Archived from [the original](http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/water/shed/maps/60102-120.pdf) on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2009. 1. ["Gateways"](http://www.dnr.sc.gov/managed/wild/jocassee/gateways.htm). *Jocassee Gorges*. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 20 December 2009. 1. ["Chauga - 3: Route 290 /Cassidy Bridge Rd. to Cobbs Bridge Rd."](https://web.archive.org/web/20100110015009/http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_1695). *National Whitewater Inventory*. American Whitewater. Archived from [the original](http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_1695) on 10 January 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2009. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chauga River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauga_River) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauga_River?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.