#lagoon system

The green lagoons

Hilton Head's lagoons are a treat for human eyes and home to all manner of creature, but they also serve a crucial function: drainage.

The 11-mile-long Palmetto Dunes salt-water lagoon system - the second largest man-made lagoon system in the U.S. - winds through 2,000-plus acres of neighborhoods, golf courses and maritime hardwood forests.

It was built in the 1970s to address two problems - shallow waterways on the island and a vanishing beachfront. Before the lagoons were dug receding tides and the seepage of ground water made the island's 150-foot-wide beach too waterlogged to use.

Form and function

The lagoons of Hilton Head soothe the human soul and provide a cozy habitat for all manner of creature, but their primary purpose is drainage.

The 11-mile-long Palmetto Dunes salt-water lagoon system - the second largest man-made lagoon system in the U.S. - winds through 2,000 acres of residential neighborhoods, golf courses and live oaks.

It was built in the 1970s to address two problems - shallow waterways on the island and eroding beaches. Before the lagoons were dug receding tides and the seepage of ground water made the island's 150-foot-wide beach too waterlogged to use.

8 Lagoon Septic Sytems You Never Knew About, How They Treat Sewage

Lagoon Septic Systems: What they are and how they work

  For people in rural or remote communities, septic tanks and subterranean discharge are the most prevalent ways of treating wastewater.

  This said variations in soil, topography and proximity to rivers or water basins mean not every location allows for underground discharge. And not every home or building discharges an amount of wastewater…