Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America is the largest economic development project in Georgia history and, as expected, Bulloch County and the region are reaping the benefits.
Our citizens are already benefiting from jobs created by the plant, the three Metaplant suppliers that will combine for $562 million in investment and generate more than 1,200 jobs in our county, and the many retail and professional businesses that will continue to come with recent growth.
The mission of our Development Authority is to create economic opportunities for the citizens of Bulloch County, and these recent developments certainly bring those opportunities here.
However, the pace of this change has been dramatic and has caused some understandable concerns, including questions about the effects of these developments on the environment. These concerns also have led to quite a bit of disinformation, so I want to address these issues with facts.
How is the health of our local water supply?
We can responsibly meet the water needs of the Metaplant. Our water situation in the region has improved drastically in the last quarter century. Water in our area comes from multiple sources, including the Floridan aquifer, a vast and plentiful water source. Because of the Floridan’s abundance and quality, it has been a primary water source for multiple users, including agriculture, private wells and municipal water supplies.
Over time, groundwater pumping in the Savannah area combined with unique geological conditions near the coast resulted in saltwater intrusion near Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. In the 1990s, the Coastal Sound Science Initiative was implemented to study and monitor the Floridan. Since then, careful regulation and management of the aquifer has led to raising of aquifer levels by nearly 40 feet. This recovery and other long-term management policies set by Georgia EPD allow us to use the aquifer as a temporary source of water for the Metaplant.
How will the Metaplant get its water?
The current plan has three phases. During construction and start up, the Hyundai plant will use Bryan County wells and permitted capacity. In the interim, four new groundwater wells are proposed in Bulloch County that will supply water to the Metaplant and other customers in the region. In the long term, surface water and other potential alternate sources will be utilized to provide drinking water to the Metaplant and the region. This plan will take time to develop the necessary treatment and water transportation infrastructure.
Why will the new wells be located in Bulloch County?
Groundwater withdrawals in Bulloch County, a designated green zone through the Sound Science Initiative, will have a lesser impact on saltwater encroachment in the Hilton Head Island area than withdrawals in nearby red and yellow zone areas. Georgia EPD recognizes this by allowing water withdrawals from the Floridan aquifer in Bulloch County.
Bryan and Bulloch counties recently entered an intergovernmental agreement to develop the wells, which will benefit both communities. Bulloch County stands to generate around $1.2 million a year. Georgia EPD has issued draft permits, and public comments on the permits are being accepted until August 20.
What impact will the wells have on the local water supply?
The impact will be limited to a fairly small area. According to Georgia EPD modeling, water levels for some existing wells within five miles of the site might decrease by as much as 19 feet, with levels returning to normal over a relatively short period of time.
Currently, there are three to five agricultural wells close enough to potentially experience anything over a 10-foot reduction. The total number of private residential wells within the five-mile radius is difficult to ascertain, but those constructed in conformance with typical practice may not be impacted. That said, Georgia EPD has required that Bryan and Bulloch counties establish a mitigation fund to protect users who may need to lower their well pumps. Outside of the five-mile radius, the experts do not expect any meaningful impact.
In addition, Georgia EPD models assume the wells will be operating at full capacity simultaneously, which is not how the system will typically run. The actual impact to well water levels within the five-mile radius will likely be less than the modeled 10-19 feet.
Will this affect our surface water?
No. Recently, experts have shared that there is a 300- to 400-foot confining layer between the Floridan aquifer and surface water in our area, which means that there is no connection between the wells and our streams and rivers.
Please note that the Hyundai plant site has been under environmental review since 2014, with more than $27 million spent on due diligence and environmental mitigation and procedures. We are confident that the Metaplant project has been responsibly planned and will provide great benefits to Bulloch County and our region for generations.
Please visit www.truthaboutwater.org for more information about this topic.
Billy Allen is chairman of the Development Authority of Bulloch County, whose stated mission is to expand economic opportunities by growing, attracting, developing and supporting new and existing business.