The Savannah is a large river with a watershed extending into the foothills of the Appalachians. Flow in the Savannah River averages 360 cubic meters per second, and the drainage area is 28,750 square kilometers. Of the five GARLMER estuaries, the Savannah has experienced the greatest human impact. Flow, sediment load, and flood plain have been modified by large dams above the Fall Line and dredging and channelization below that point. Because of its long history of modification, the Savannah does not have the vast vegetated flood plains in the fresh water tidal zone that are characteristic of the other Georgia estuaries. There are, however, extensive developments of more saline intertidal vegetational zones near the sea.
Land use and land cover in the Savannah river watershed
