Clemson University Restoration Institute is facilitating the development of the Sand River Ecological Restoration Master Plan for the City of Aiken in South Carolina. This effort is comprised of a year-long planning process conducted in partnership with the City of Aiken, the Hitchcock Woods Foundation, and other key stakeholders. The end product will be documentation of a master planning process that can be replicated across the state. 

The master plan involves the creation of multi-party agreements for restoring a local natural treasure, the Sand River. A holistic approach to the restoration of Sand River will require development of a plan that balances stormwater management with habitat preservation and restoration. The riverbed winds through the botanically diverse and culturally rich landscape of the Hitchcock Woods, located a few blocks from historic downtown Aiken.