Georgia promised 6.6M gallons a day to Hyundai EV Metaplant from coastal Floridan Aquifer - will drawdown Floridan Aquifer
Elaine Hanford
Retired Professional Geologist & Environmental Scientist; Consultant & Freelance Technical Editor; Consultant Family History e-Search
Georgia has promised approval of wells for 6.6M gallons of water daily for Hyundai EV Metaplant from coastal Floridan Aquifer – Georgia taxpayers will pay $1M mitigation fund – would cause regional groundwater drawdown – long-term plan to draw water from Savannah River or deeper Cretaceous aquifer – State seeking public comment
Notice of Public Meeting Regarding Draft Groundwater Withdrawal Permits for Bryan County and Bulloch County This notice is to announce that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Watershed Protection Branch has released draft groundwater withdrawal permits for Bryan County and Bulloch County and will host a public meeting and hearing to seek comments from the public on these draft permits. The draft groundwater withdrawal permits have been released for public comments on EPD websites at https://epd.georgia.gov/water-withdrawal-permitting and https://epd.georgia.gov/watershed-protection-branch-public-announcements. Bulloch County has submitted an application to EPD for two Floridan aquifer wells sited in Bulloch County, asking for up to 3.125 million gallons a day (mgd) on an annual average. Bryan County has submitted an application to EPD for two Floridan aquifer wells sited in Bulloch County, asking for up to 3.500 mgd on an annual average. The cumulative total of 6.625 mgd on an annual average will be used to provide water to the Bryan County Mega-Site and associated development. On February 26, 2024, EPD hosted a public informational meeting to discuss results from technical assessments and draft special conditions in potential water withdrawal permits. EPD has presented these results and provided a regional overview of the impact on the Floridan aquifer. EPD has made available an interactive map, which shows the potential modeled impact at specific locations, such as at residential or agricultural wells. This information continues to be available on EPD’s website at: https://epd.georgia.gov/water-withdrawal-permitting. Since the February 26, 2024, meeting, EPD has received comments and questions on the proposed groundwater withdrawals, the potential impacts, mitigations necessary to address the impact, and ways to improve the special conditions. EPD has prepared responses to these comments, revised the special conditions accordingly, and drafted water withdrawal permits incorporating these special conditions. A copy of the response to comments documented is available on the EPD website at https://epd.georgia.gov/water-withdrawal-permitting. In this public meeting and hearing, EPD will seek public input on the draft permits. The meeting will be held on: Meeting DATE: August 13, 2024 Meeting TIME: 6 P.M. to 9 P.M. Meeting LOCATION: Southeast Bulloch High School, Auditorium 9184 Brooklet-Denmark Highway, Brooklet, Ga 30415 In addition to the meeting, stakeholders may choose to send written comments to EPD. Written comments may be sent to [email protected] or mailed to Environmental Protection Division, Watershed Protection Branch, Suite 1470A East Tower, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., Atlanta, GA 30334. The comment period closes on Tuesday, August 20. Please include the words “Groundwater Applications for Bryan County Mega-Site” in the subject line to help ensure that your comments will be forwarded to the correct staff