Salt water intruding on Hilton Head’s water supply

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Water customers on the south end of Hilton Head Island will pay more as the local water service deals with salt water intrusion.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports (http://bit.ly/okiNst ) one of 13 wells serving the area has been lost to salt water intrusion and officials say more will likely be lost in the future.

Salt water intrusion occurs when too much fresh water is drawn from the underground aquifer and salt water seeps in replacing the water pumped out.

Customers of the South Island Public Service District will have to pay about $9 more a month. The district plans to build two new storage units, improve its reverse-osmosis plant that draws water from a deeper aquifer and upgrade its distribution system.

The cost is more than $10 million.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com