Cooper River

One of two rivers (the other being the Ashley) that join at Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The Cooper flows south from Lake Moultrie, which is connected by channel with Lake Marion, on the Santee River.

Before dams created the Cooper–Santee lakes in the 1930s, the Cooper was connected to the Santee by a 35 km/22 mi-long canal (completed 1800). However, its trade was soon lost to the railways. Much of it now lies under the lake, created by the Pinopolis Dam (height 24 m/78 ft, width 3 km/2 mi), which generates hydroelectric power.