Overview:
The Saluda Mitigation Bank is a 415-acre mitigation bank located in Laurens and Newberry Counties, South Carolina, within the Saluda Watershed (HUC 03050109). The bank was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Charleston District in March 2021, and provides a reliable, regulatory-approved option for compensatory mitigation to support permitted development and infrastructure projects.
The mitigation plan includes a combination of stream enhancement, restoration, and preservation activities associated with Mills Creek, Mudlick Creek, and numerous unnamed tributaries on-site. In addition to stream improvements, the site includes the enhancement and preservation of several small wetlands, particularly those adjacent to and within the headwaters of the restored stream network. These improvements are designed to increase aquatic habitat quality, improve watershed function, and provide long-term ecological uplift.
The bank is located in the Little River watershed (HUC 03050109-09), a sub-basin of the Saluda River Basin, which is part of the larger Santee River Basin (HUC 030501). The Saluda River Basin spans portions of Greenville, Pickens, Anderson, Abbeville, Laurens, Greenwood, Newberry, Saluda, Lexington, and Richland Counties, extending from the Blue Ridge through the Sand Hills Ecoregions and including major metropolitan areas such as Columbia and Greenville.
The bank’s primary service area is proposed to include the entire Saluda River Basin (HUC 03050109) within the Piedmont Ecoregion. The Saluda Mitigation Bank offers stream and wetland mitigation credits generated through approved restoration and conservation work, providing permittees with a streamlined and ecologically meaningful solution for mitigating impacts within the approved service area.
