Sand River Ecological Restoration Master Plan

Sand River Overview

Clemson University Restoration Institute is facilitating the development of the Sand River Ecological Master Plan for the City of Aiken, 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.  The riverbed winds through the botanically diverse and culturally rich landscape of the Hitchcock Woods, located a few blocks from historic downtown Aiken.

Project Purpose

The purpose of the master planning process is to engage in collaborative dialog among all parties and create an ecologically sound master plan, that balances storm water management with habitat preservation and restoration. The master plan will lay out a long-term framework for ensuring that the cumulative effects of individual projects within Sand River result in a self-sustaining ecosytem that all residents from the area can enjoy.  It also will meet all the watershed-level and structural requirements established by local public and private authorities governing the property and surrounding areas.

Community Engagement

The local community will be involved through a series of stakeholder meetings, a public forum and comment opportunities.  A draft set of possible restoration approaches will be crafted by the lead agencies, restoration scientists and civil engineers.  A public forum will be hosted by the City to gain feedback.  All input will be publicly posted and considered in developing the final drawings and plans.

We all want the same thing ...
a scientifically sound, environmentally sensitive
and culturally appropriate solution.

Learn More

For more information, connect to the following:

• Sand River ecological restoration decision tree
• Map of Hitchcock Woods and proposed Sand River restoration options
• Sand River options detail
• Sand River full presentation (8 MB)
  

For questions, please contact:   Jon Van Bergen, Program Coordinator at 864-656-2618 or jbergen@clemson.edu