FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 25, 2007
States reach agreement for Savannah River work
COLUMBIA – Georgia and South Carolina have signed an agreement to work on plans to stop the migration of salt water into the Upper Floridan aquifer affecting both states, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today.
“This agreement represents a positive step to address a significant problem in the Savannah Basin,” said Robert W. King, Jr., DHEC’s deputy commissioner for Environmental Quality Control. “As water issues become more important and complex, this agreement serves as an example how both states can work together to benefit our citizens.”
King said executive orders by S.C. Governor Mark Sanford and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue created committees to discuss water issues in the Savannah River Basin including water supply and wastewater. One of the key issues is saltwater intrusion into the Upper Floridan aquifer. Both states use groundwater from the Upper Floridan aquifer. Pumping has lowered water levels and salt water started entering the aquifer on the northern end of Hilton Head Island during the 1980s. Public supply wells on the northern end of Hilton Head Island have already become contaminated and have been taken out of service. The agreement outlines the common objectives to stop the movement of the salt water into the Upper Floridan aquifer beneath southern Beaufort County and Hilton Head Island as well as protecting the aquifer from the vertical migration of saltwater. Modeling done by both states is to be completed by June 2008. Once finished, the approved models will be one of the tools used in future decisions on water management.
The agreement was signed Oct. 16 at a joint meeting of the Governor’s committees at Clemson University by Carol Couch, director of Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, and DHEC’s King.
“We appreciate the hard work of the members of the Governor’s committee and the agencies and organizations they represent,” King said.
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For more information:
Thom Berry – (803) 898-3885
E-mail – berrytw@dhec.sc.gov
BNR1802