PSD At-A-GlancE
Main Water Sources
Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Treatment Facility on Jenkins Island treats brackish groundwater from the 600-foot-deep Middle Floridan Aquifer. The RO plant provides 3 million gallons of fresh water a day and is expandable to provide 6 million gallons a day.
Wells
Wells in the 150-foot-deep fresh water Upper Floridan Aquifer. These wells are the island’s traditional source of water but are being lost to the phenomenon of saltwater intrusion into the fresh water aquifer.
Treated Savannah River
Treated Savannah River surface water is purchased wholesale from the Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority and is delivered to the island via a large pipeline underneath the Intracoastal Waterway. Treated Savannah River surface water also is stored in the PSD’s Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) Well inside Hilton Head Plantation. The ASR well stores the treated water during the winter months of low demand and withdraws it for retreatment and distribution during the summer months of higher demand, when wholesale water rates are more expensive. The ASR well provides 2 million gallons of water a day during the summer months.
Learn More about PSD's Water
Hilton Head PSD has several ways to produce high-quality drinking water, which allows us to choose the best options for our customers.
PSD by the numbers
• 5 elevated water storage tanks and 3 ground-level tanks have a collective capacity of 8.4 million gallons
• 220 miles of drinking water lines throughout our service area
• 200 miles of sewer mains throughout our service area
• 120 sewer lift stations located throughout our service area
• 6.4 million gallons of wastewater is treated through the Recycled Water Plant
• 11 golf courses for use in irrigation
• 4 wetlands in Hilton Head Plantation and Palmetto Hall are part of a state-monitored wetlands nourishment program provided by PSD’s Recycled Water Plant
• 3 storage lagoons capable of holding up to 30 million gallons of recycled water
