Hilton Head (SC) Public Service District Groundwater Crisis Management: Past – Current – Future

In 1995, the South Carolina Dept of Environmental Health & Control (DHEC) based on state and USGS monitoring, cited excessive drawdown to the Upper Floridan Aquifer (UFA), the primary groundwater supply of the Hilton Head Public Service District (the District). DHEC mandated under a new permit a production limitation that represented about a 50% reduction to the District's groundwater supply. This was the beginning of a long line of challenges facing the District and its future water supply. Since then, the District has dealt with and documented critical water supply and quality issues through studies, investigations, reports and planning recommendations. It identified the District's approach and implementation of management programs during periods of crisis and change. This presentation captures the comprehensive and ongoing programs of the District to meet the extraordinary demands experienced through loss of its groundwater supply due to saltwater intrusion. It can well serve as a guide and road map for other Districts facing similar and pending water supply issues.