PRS Watershed
Port Royal Sound
About the Sound
Port Royal Sound is the heart of the Lowcountry's living, breathing network of waterways. It sustains a vibrant ecosystem, fuels our economy, and is intertwined with the region's deep cultural roots. Flowing through rivers, creeks, marshes, and swamps, the Sound connects us to the Atlantic Ocean and shapes the way we live, work, and play.
This distinctive environment makes the Port Royal Sound unlike any other coastal community in the South. It creates a breathtaking intersection of land and sea, offers endless opportunities for boating and fishing, and provides invaluable ecosystem services for the surrounding region. But as one of the fastest-growing regions in one of the fastest-growing states in the country, there are new and unprecedented pressures on our environment. Changing land use and rising sea levels present challenges for water quality, marsh levels and vegetation, community resilience, and life in the Sound itself.
The Port Royal Sound Conservation Network, facilitated by the Port Royal Sound Foundation, is a collection of experts and volunteers working to monitor key indicators of health and change for the Sound. This portal serves as a single source for historic and current data on a wide range of health indicators that will help guide needed research, better decisions, and stronger policies to help conserve the Sound.
PRSound Science
Supporting Science-Based Decisions
This portal is your gateway to exploring and understanding what is happening in the Port Royal Sound watershed. It is a growing site that will continue to grow and change as the PRS Conservation Network collects additional data and adds new indicators. The goal is to present relevant data that supports and informs responsible decision-making for the region.
In this first phase, we're highlighting water quality data to help our community better understand the health of the waterways we depend on. As the portal grows, it will expand to include data on other key indicators — changes in land cover and land use, changing marsh dynamics, life that depends on the Sound, and the resilience and vitality of communities that depend on the Sound.