The Congaree River flows through Columbia, South Carolina, after the Broad and Saluda rivers meet.
The Broad River and Saluda River join at Columbia to form the Congaree River. The river then continues southeast through the central part of South Carolina before joining the Wateree River.
This confluence helped shape Columbia’s location and transportation history. The capital stands near the fall line, where the rivers transition from the Piedmont toward the Coastal Plain, creating historically useful waterpower and navigation points.
The Congaree River is also associated with Congaree National Park, a floodplain forest southeast of Columbia. The park protects one of the largest remaining expanses of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern United States.