Years ago, Hilton Head Island was ordered to reduce its use of water from the Upper Floridan aquifer to about 9 million gallons a day. This edict necessitated the island's utilities getting water from the Savannah River.

At the same time, paper mills and other industries on the banks of the Savannah River in Georgia were drawing down enormous amounts of good drinking water and using it for its industrial processes. They could have used Savannah River water, but did not want the expense of treatment before use. I remember an estimate of their total draw down as 50 million gallons a day, but that figure is so fantastic I am not sure.

In the newspaper's coverage of discussions of aquifer problems with Georgia, I do not remember seeing anything about the problem I have described. Is this industrial use continuing or has it been curtailed?

Donald R. Jackson

Hilton Head Island