Columbia Canal, Historic waterway in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Columbia Canal is a historic waterway in Richland County, South Carolina, running alongside the Congaree and Broad rivers. It remains operational today, generating hydroelectric power while offering walking paths on both banks for visitors.

Irish laborers built the canal in 1824 to link inland settlements with trade centers along the Fall Line. In the late 1800s it was rebuilt to generate electricity, shifting its role from transportation to power production.

A granite Irish Memorial stands near the canal to honor the workers who built it. Visitors walking the paths can stop at this monument and read about the people whose labor shaped this waterway.

The canal runs about 3.5 miles from Gervais Street north along the Congaree and Broad rivers, and its banks form the core of Riverfront Park. The 2008 South Carolina Irish Memorial, a granite monument to the indentured Irish laborers, stands along the route. The canal was breached in the October 2015 flood, and as of February 2024 repairs remained in the planning stage, so some sections may be affected.

The canal once powered a textile mill that ran electric motors by remote control, which was among the earliest known uses of this technology in the country. The mill showed that electricity could be sent and managed over a distance long before this became common practice.