Cooperative Planning for Source Water Protection: Targeting Sediment in the Upper Saluda River Watershed

Melanie Ruhlman & Angela Vandelay, PE

Save Our Saluda, in cooperation with seventeen partnering organizations, has developed a watershed plan to address the significant sediment problem in the North Saluda River and Saluda Lake, a drinking water source for residents and businesses in the Upstate of South Carolina. The Watershed Plan lays the groundwork for implementation of practices and measures to reduce sediment runoff and help prevent future sediment runoff in the relatively rural watershed area to the river and lake.

Melanie Ruhlman

Angela Vandelay

Co-Presented by Melanie Ruhlman

Save Our Saluda

Melanie Ruhlman is a water resources specialist with over 20 years of professional experience working in industry, government, private, and nonprofit sectors in the areas of watershed planning and management. She currently presides over Save Our Saluda, a nonprofit watershed group working to protect and restore the Upper Saluda Watershed. Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree in Forestry from North Carolina State University and master’s degree in Forest Hydrology from the University of Georgia. Her areas of expertise include watershed assessment and planning, watershed hydrology, water quality, erosion and sediment control, stormwater management, stream assessment, soils, wetlands, and public outreach and education.

Co-Presented by Angela Vandelay, PE

Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions

Ms. Vandelay is a licensed Professional Engineer with more than a decade of project experience in water quality, environmental permitting and compliance, sustainability and remediation projects. Ms. Vandelay’s specialty is providing client-focused stormwater program support to help a variety of municipal, federal, industrial and nonprofit clients achieve their surface water quality goals and meet their NPDES permit requirements.