Ashepoo River is a short blackwater river

Blackwater river

A blackwater river is a river with a deep, slow-moving channel that flows through forested swamps and wetlands. As vegetation decays in the water, tannins are leached out, resulting in transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling tea or coffee. Most major blackwater rivers are in...

 in South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

. It rises in a confluence of swamps south of Walterboro

Walterboro, South Carolina

Walterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,153 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Colleton County.-History:...

, flows in southeast direction and then empties into Saint Helena Sound

Saint Helena Sound

Saint Helena Sound is a coastal inlet in Beaufort and Colleton counties, South Carolina. The inlet is located East of Beaufort, between Edisto Island. and Hunting Island. Saint Helena Sound is 7.5 mi/12.1 km wide. The Combahee River empties from the Northwest and the Edisto River and...

 at 32.49°N 80.42389°W. The entire course of the river lies within the boundaries of Colleton County. The Ashepoo basin forms part of the ACE Basin

ACE Basin

The ACE Basin is one of the largest undeveloped estuaries along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Located primarily in Colleton and Beaufort counties in South Carolina, the ACE Basin is an acronym that represents the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers, which combine into the larger St....

, a coastal conservation area that encompasses its bottomlands confluence with the Combahee

Combahee River

The Combahee River is a short blackwater river in the southern Lowcountry region of South Carolina formed at the confluence of the Salkehatchie and Little Salkehatchie rivers near the Islandton community of Colleton County, South Carolina...

 and Edisto

Edisto River

The Edisto River is the longest completely undammed / unleveed blackwater river in North America, flowing 206 meandering miles from its sources in Saluda and Edgefield counties, to its Atlantic Ocean mouth at Edisto Beach, SC...

 river basins (thus, the origin of the refuge's name, formed from the first letters of the names of the 3 rivers: A-C-E). Many people enjoy fishing and boating on this river and others in South Carolina.

The name comes from the Ashepoo subtribe of the Cusabo

Cusabo

The Cusabo were a group of historic Native American tribes who lived along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in what is now South Carolina, approximately between present-day Charleston and south to the Savannah River, at the time of European encounter. English colonists often referred to them as the...

Indians.