PSD talks RO with Edisto Beach

Hilton Head PSD in March hosted officials from the Town of Edisto Beach on a tour of the PSD's Reverse Osmosis Plant and our new Aquifer Storage & Recovery well. Edisto Beach is faced with a significant saltwater intrusion problem in its drinking water supply wells and is considering Reverse Osmosis (RO) as a solution. The PSD's RO Plant has been providing 3 million gallons of fresh drinking water a day since the spring of 2009. It is a key tool in the PSD's ongoing work to replace drinking water supply lost to saltwater intrusion in our traditional groundwater source, the Upper Floridan Aquifer. In the photo above PSD General Manager Richard Cyr, second from left, discusses the operation of the Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) well, which stores water in the underground aquifer during the winter months of low demand, and withdraws it during the summer when demand increases. Below, the group tours the RO Plant.

Hilton Head High kids get dose of reality

PSD staff member Connie Whitehead, seated, assists a Hilton Head Island High School student with her utility bill payment during the school's "Reality Store" day on Feb. 16. Students were given occupations and incomes based on their g.p.a., and then had to visit each of the 20-plus local businesses on hand to pay for items like groceries, insurance, child care, and -- of course -- water!

PSD receives state award for RO Plant; on to nationals

Members of the PSD and AECOM team hold the award plaque after the PSD's Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment Facility won an Excellence in Engineering Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies at its annual South Carolina awards on Feb. 8 at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC. The project also has won a National Recognition Award from the ACEC, which will be presented April 1 in Washington, D.C. Above, from left are: Mike Sutton, Project Manager, AECOM; Bob Manne, Chairman, Hilton Head PSD Commission; Frank Drehwing, Hilton Head PSD Commissioner; Ted Clark, Engineering Manager, AECOM; and Jonathan Lister of Water & Power Technologies.

Richard Cyr on Lowcountry View

PSD General Manager Richard Cyr, left, gets ready to tape an edition of "Lowcountry View" on WHHI-TV with host Earl Yates.

Cyr and Yates discuss Hilton Head water supply topics on this edition. Future editions of the program will focus on the PSD's reclaimed water program and sewer system extension efforts.

WHHI-TV is TimeWarner Channel 3 and Hargray Channel 200.

Hilton Head High kids job shadow at PSD

Hilton Head Island High School juniors Amber Hudson, left, and Shanell Wells, center, listen as PSD staff member Connie Whitehead discusses her duties during the students' job shadow experience Feb. 3. Hilton Head PSD is a proud participant in the high school's annual job shadowing program, which gives students real-life examples of local employers.

RO Plant is national award finalist

The PSD’s Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment Facility project has placed as one of the 24 National Engineering Excellence Award winners in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 2010 competition. As such, the project will be highlighted at the annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, the black-tie event known as the “Academy Awards” of the engineering industry. This event will be held on April 1 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The project also will be presented at the South Carolina ACEC awards on Feb. 8 at the Columbia Museum of Art.

The PSD's Reverse Osmosis Plant produces 3 million gallons of fresh drinking water a day, about half of our customers' average daily demand.

PSD blood drive held for Johnny Malphrus

The American Red Cross Bloodmobile was at Hilton Head PSD on December 17 for a blood drive in honor of our mechanic, Johnny Malphrus, whose recent illness required several blood transfusions. PSD accountant Nick Koulichkov organized the drive, which resulted in 18 donations. Johnny is on the mend and ready to be back under our PSD vehicles, keeping them running strong.

Bald eagles in Palmetto Hall wetlands

Hilton Head PSD Commissioner and Palmetto Hall resident Bob Gentzler this week took this photo of a nesting bald eagle in the Palmetto Hall wetlands. The nest is in a tall pine just off the Eighth fairway of the Arthur Hills Course. The wetlands are nourished by Hilton Head PSD reclaimed water, and the diverse wildlife population in the ecosystem is proof of the effectiveness of the reclaimed water program. The PSD annually recycles 1 billion gallons of treated wastewater into reclaimed water, which is then sold to golf courses for irrigation or distributed into four different wetlands, two in Palmetto Hall and two in Hilton Head Plantation.

Wetlands tour: It's all about the Reclaimed Water

The PSD sponsored a Hilton Head Lifelong Learning class and field trip to the Whooping Crane Pond Conservancy in Hilton Head Plantation, which was led by environmental scientist and author Todd Ballantine. The Whooping Crane wetland is a key part of the PSD's Reclaimed Water program, which annually recycles nearly 1 billion gallons of wastewater for reuse as golf course irrigation and wetlands nourishment.

The above photo of a Cottonmouth snake was taken on the field trip, which took place Nov. 20. Ballantine calls the Cottonmouth a "charter member" of the wetlands and said its presence is proof that the Reclaimed Water program is working to sustain a thriving ecology in Whooping Crane.

In the photo above, Ballantine, center, discusses Reclaimed Water's role in the wetlands during a stop on the Whooping Crane boardwalk, which winds through the wetlands.

To learn more about the PSD's Reclaimed Water program, visit: http://www.hhpsd.com/PDF%20Files/Reclaimed_Water.pdf

Group from national conference tours PSD RO Plant

RO on Tour...

Attendees from the 2010 American Water Works Association's Water Quality & Technology conference that took place November 14-18 in Savannah toured the PSD's Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment Facility as part of the conference. The tour included water quality professionals from Utah, Ohio, D.C., Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, and India.

ASR Well site cleared and ready

The PSD has finished demolition of portions of the former wastewater treatment plant at Royal James Drive and is getting ready to start construction of its Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) Well at the site.

The PSD is constructing an Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) Well at Royal James Drive that is needed to replace drinking water supply lost due to saltwater intrusion into the 150-foot-deep Upper Floridan Aquifer. The well is expected to be in operation by the summer of 2013. The PSD has lost six Upper Floridan drinking water wells to saltwater intrusion, caused by the overpumping of the aquifer in the Savannah, Ga., region, since 2000. Studies show the intrusion is advancing at a rate of more than 300 feet a year from Port Royal Sound through the PSD’s service area. The utility can expect to lose five of its remaining six Upper Floridan wells by 2020.

A Rain Garden from the Ground Up (or the Gutter Down)

Betty and Bob Manne are creating a rain garden from the ground up -- or the gutter down -- at the home they have built on Savannah Trail in Hilton Head Plantation. Betty, a Clemson Master Gardener, and Bob, Chairman of the Hilton Head PSD Commission, have plumbed the home's gutters into a rain garden at the exterior of the home. Rain will flow from the gutters into two buried pipes that then distribute water into the rain garden using diffusers. Betty now is in the process of planning the planting. Check back with The Liquid Letter to watch the rain garden grow!

In the meantime, learn more about planting your own Lowcountry Rain Garden at http://www.lowcountryraingardens.blogspot.com/.

Site of the Manne's rain garden on Savannah Trail. One of the diffusers is visible in the lower-right corner.

Commissioners meet the Monster

The Hilton Head PSD Commission toured the utility's Reclaimed Water Plant with General Manager Richard Cyr and Operations Manager Bill Davis this week. The Commissioners got to meet the Monster -- the Bandscreen Monster, that is -- the utility's new, high-tech screen system that removes large solids from the wastewater entering the treatment plant. The Monster, at right in photo above, improves efficiency in the wastewater treatment process. The PSD's treatment process yields Reclaimed Water, which is used to irrigate golf courses and keep wetlands wet. In the photo below, you see treated wastewater in one of the PSD's clarifier tanks, on its way to be chlorinated during the final stage of treatment. It's all part of recycling nearly 1 billion gallons of wastewater every year at the PSD.

Demolition time

The PSD is demolishing the former wastewater treatment plant in Hilton Head Plantation to make way for our new Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) well. Above, a portion of the chlorine contact chamber is removed. In the photo below, a pile of rebar from the concrete tanks on the property awaits hauling and recycling. The PSD's demolition contractor will be salvaging and recycling materials from the site, such as rebar and concrete. The ASR well will store treated drinking water in the Middle Floridan Aquifer during the winter months of low demand, and withdraw it for treatment and distribution during the summer months of higher demand. The well is expected to be operable by the summer of 2013.

Honey Horn rain garden thriving

The photo at left shows the rain garden at Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn Plantation prior to planting in March 2010. The photo at right shows the rain garden as of August 2010. The PSD sponsored the rain garden, which was planted by the Leadership Hilton Head-Bluffton Class of 2010 along with a variety of partners, as a living example of irrigation efficiency. The 80-gallon rain barrel seen at right in both photos collects rainfall from the roof of the Supervisor's House and uses it to irrigate the garden. Low Country Rain Barrel of Bluffton donated the barrel to the garden.

Low-pressure sewer helps environment

The PSD is installing a low-pressure sewer system for the Old House Creek neighborhood. The low-pressure sewer line, seen at right in photo, is flexible and can be bored underground. That makes it a great system for converting existing neighborhoods from septic sytems to the sanitary sewer system. As we reduce the use of septic systems, we reduce the chance for the environmental problems that can come with septic system failures, such as soil and water pollution.

Hydrogeology expert to speak at PSD July 27

Dr. Richard Spruill of East Carolina University and Groundwater Management Associates will present an update on the status of saltwater intrusion into the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the Hilton Head PSD service area at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, in the PSD Community Room at 21 Oak Park Drive off Mathews Drive.

Dr. Spruill has been researching and monitoring the rate of saltwater intrusion into the 150-foot-deep Upper Floridan for several years, and is the PSD's consulting expert on the subject.

Recent studies have shown that the saltwater intrusion, caused by the overpumping of the aquifer in the Savannah, Ga., region, is advancing at a rate of 200 feet a year from Port Royal Sound through the PSD's service area. The PSD has lost five Upper Floridan drinking water wells to the intrusion since 2000, and expects to lose six of its remaining seven Upper Floridan wells by the year 2020.

The utility has taken multiple steps to replace the drinking water supply that is being lost to the intrusion. In 2009 it launched a Reverse Osmosis (RO) Drinking Water Treatment Facility that now produces 3 million gallons of fresh drinking water a day, drawing raw water from the 600-foot-deep, brackish Middle Floridan Aquifer. The PSD this year is beginning construction of an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) supply well, where Savannah River surface water will be stored during the winter months for withdraw during the summer months of higher demand.

For more information about Dr. Spruill's presentation, please email the PSD at info@hhpsd.com.