Characteristics of the KLW
Kingston Lake takes its name from the original town laid out along the banks of the Waccamaw River in the 1730s. An important commercial hub for naval stores and agricultural and timber products, Kingston Township eventually changed its name to Conway. Kingston County became Horry County in 1801, which is now anchored by beachfront development along the Grand Strand. Meanwhile, Conway has become an historic and leisure destination along the scenic river.
Kingston Lake watershed (KLW) encompasses 83,446 acres (130 square miles) and has a total of 188 stream miles. Progressing outwards from downtown Conway, land uses in the watershed range from urban commercial to suburban residential to rural agricultural and forest. Yet, majestic cypress swamp thrives directly across the channel from Conway’s urban center. Fed by underground springs, swamps, and overland flows, the freshwater stream system experiences tidal effect near its confluence with the Waccamaw River. It is considered a blackwater system, which is characterized by naturally low pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations.
