bin
Congaree Creek, South Carolina, USA
United States, South Carolina, Lexington
Congaree Creek is a small blackwater creek in Lexington County, USA and it flows into Congaree River downstream of Columbia in South Carolina. This little creek gives home for lots of alligators, birds, fish and other wildlife. The twisty body of the creek is very interesting and challenging for people who love boat trips or hiking. There are many endangered animal, too, like American Bald Eagle,Arctic Peregrine Falcon, Brown Pelican, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Wood Stork, and Red Wolf. The name ‘Congaree’ comes from Siouan-speaking Congaree Indians, who settled below the confluence of the Broad and Saluda Rivers after the Yamassee War. Peaple use this land for over 10.000 years.
In Congaree National Park they protect the nation’s largest remaining tract of southern old-growth bottomland forest and you can find lots of spanish moss in this beautiful area, too. It’s much more than a park, river or a creek, it’s one of the most wonderful and unique part of North America.
- Submitted by
- Anikó Csanádi
- Approved by
- Fritz Rohde & Lawrence Kent
- GPS
- 33.9426880, -81.0324478
- Geographical region
- Northern America
- Drainage Basin
- Lower Saluda
- River catchment
- Congaree River
- Water body type
- Creek
- Water body name
- Conagree Creek
- Water body part
- Meander
- Water body course
- Middle course
- Water body: tributary of
- River
- Tributary name
- Conagree River
Videos above and below water
Warning: Undefined variable $fish_parent in /home/biotopea/public_html/wp-content/themes/bap/content-bin.php on line 55
Water Chemistry
Water information
- Water type
- fresh-water
- Water color
- Black water
- Water transparency
- Medium
- Concentration of sediments
- High
- Water temperature
- 20 °C
- Water flow/curent
- Slow
Chemical parameters
- pH
- 6.5
- Conductivity
- 32
- GH
- 15 mg/l
- dGH
- KH
- 10 mg/l
- dKH
- Dissolved Oxygen
- 80 %
Substrate in nature
- Sand
- Grey
- Pebble/Gravel
- Mixed
- Stone
- Brown
- Stone form
- Flat
- Silt/Mud
- Beige
- Leaves
- Many
- Driftwood
- Many
- Submerged terrestrial vegetation
- Yes
Aquatic Biotope
- Date of collecting
- Collecting area
- Water depth
- Air temperature
- Sunlight
Environment
- Environment
- Affected by human activity
- Affected by human activity
- Agriculture
- Agriculture
- Little
- Surrounding area
Congaree Creek esthabilished in Congaree National Park, so there are many endangered animals and plants, too. You can find lots of trees like swamp tupelo, loblolly pine, sweetgum tree, water hickory, american beech and different kind of maple trees as well. Spanish moss is unique here. In this ancien forest some trees are more than 500 years old. Congaree known for its giant hardwoods and pines, Congaree’s floodplain forest includes one of the highest canopies in the world. Snakes are a common sights here especially during summer ( Water Moccasin, Copperhead, and Canebrake Rattlesnake, are venomous).
Terrestrial vegetation:
- Nyssa biflora (Nyssaceae)
- Pinus taeda (Pinaceae)
- Quercus laurifolia ( Fagaceae)
- Nyssa biflora (Nyssaceae)
- Tillandsia usneoides (Bromeliaceae)
- Liquidambar styraciflua (Altingiaceae)
- Acer saccharinum (Sapindaceae)
- Fagus grandifolia (Fagaceae)
- Underwater landscape
Congaree Creek is a blackwater. In the shadow of giant trees there are many leaves and branches in the water and it makes the ‘black’ colour of it. Because of the trees that standing by the creek , roots are well seen, too. In some part os the creek aquatic plants are speared well, both emersed and submersed (Juncus biflorus, Scirpus cyperinus, Bacopa monnieri, Ludwigia glandulosa). The substrate of the creek is mainly silt, pebbles and rocks.
Fishes:
- Enneacanthus chaetodon (Centrarchidae)
- Enneacanthus gloriosus (Centrarchidae)
- Lepomis punctatus (Centrarchidae)
- Lepomis marginatus (Centrarchidae)
- Lepomis macrochirus (Centrarchidae)
- Lepomis microlophus (Centrarchidae)
- Lepomis auritus (Centrarchidae)
- Lepomis cyanellus (Centrarchidae)
- Lepomis gibbosus (Centrarchidae)
- Lepomis gulosus (Centrarchidae)
- Pomoxis nigromaculatus (Centrarchidae)
- Micropterus salmoides (Centrarchidae)
- Acantharchus pomotis (Centrarchidae)
- Centrarchus macropterus (Centrarchidae)
- Elassoma zonatum (Centrarchidae)
- Notropis scepticus (Leuciscidae)
- Hudsonius hudsonius (Leuciscidae)
- Notropis maculatus (Leuciscidae)
- Alburnops petersoni (Leuciscidae)
- Pteronotropis hypselopterus (Cyprinidae)
- Cyprinella chloristia (Cyprinidae)
- Cyprinella nivea (Cyprinidae)
- Nocomis leptocephalus (Cyprinidae)
- Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae)
- Hybognathus regius (Cyprinidae)
- Notemigonus crysoleucas (Cyprinidae)
- Pteronotropis cummingsae (Cyprinidae)
- Erimyzon oblongus (Catostomidae)
- Erimyzon sucetta (Catostomidae)
- Minytrema melanops (Catostomidae)
- Moxostoma macrolepidotum (Catostomidae)
- Minytrema melanops (Catostomidae)
- Dorosoma cepedianum (Clupeidae)
- Ameiurus natalis (Ictaluridae)
- Ameiurus brunneus (Ictaluridae)
- Ameiurus natalis (Ictaluridae)
- Ameiurus nebulosus (Ictaluridae)
- Ameiurus platycephalus (Ictaluridae)
- Ictalurus punctatus (Ictaluridae)
- Noturus gyrinus (Ictaluridae)
- Noturus insignis (Ictaluridae)
- Noturus leptacanthus (Ictaluridae)
- Pylodictis olivaris (Ictaluridae)
- Chologaster cornuta (Amblyopsidae)
- Aphredoderus sayanus (Aphredoderidae)
- Fundulus lineolatus (Fundulidae)
- Gambusia affinis (Poeciliidae)
- Gambusia holbrooki (Poeciliidae)
- Labidesthes sicculus ( Atherinopsidae)
- Amia calva (Amiidae)
- Etheostoma thalassinum (Percidae)
- Etheostoma fusiforme (Percidae)
- Etheostoma olmstedi (Percidae)
- Etheostoma serrifer (Percidae)
- Perca flavescens (Percidae)
- Percina crassa (Percidae)
- Morone saxatilis (Moronidae)
- Morone americana (Moronidae)
- Lepisosteus osseus (Lepisosteidae)
- Anguilla rostrata (Anguillidae)
- Dorosoma cepedianum (Dorosomatidae)
- Dorosoma petenense (Dorosomatidae)
- Umbra pygmaea (Umbridae)
- Esox americanus americanus (Esocidae)
- Esox niger (Esocidae)
Molluscs:
- Elliptio congaraea (Unionidae)
Crustaceans:
- Lacunicambarus diogenes (Cambaridae)
Aquatic plants:
- Ludwigia glandulosa (Onagraceae)
- Najas guadalupensis (Hydrocharitaceae)
- Bacopa monnieri (Plantaginaceae)
- Ludwigia repens (Onagraceae)
Wetland plants:
- Pinus palustris (Pinaceae)
Mosses:
- Tillandsia usneoides (Bromeliaceae)
- Threats to ecology
The area of Congaree Creek (and the park) is a very important place in South Carolina. This is the home of the most endangered species, like the bald eagle and red wolf.
In the past lumbering was centered on cypress logging from 1898 when the Santee River Cypress Logging Company began to operate in the area of what is now the park. Luckily, in South Carolina Senators Strom Thurmond and Ernest F. Hollings introduced legislation in 1975 for the establishment of a national preserve. The national Park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve now.
Riparian zone
- Trees near the aquatic habitat
-
Many -
Comment by the expert
Fritz Rohde: Beautifully setup biotope. I’m not sure how compatible they would be but it might have benefited from having several Golden or Lined Topminnows. Nice video and great background material.
Lawrence Kent: The Congaree National park video was great; wish it had more on life underwater.
