Hyundai wells scrutinized at public meeting

A large crowd of concerned citizens attended a public meeting and public hearing on the draft Bryan/Bulloch County Groundwater Withdrawal Permits held at the Southeast Bulloch High School by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division on Tuesday evening.

Bulloch County has applied for two Floridan aquifer wells in its jurisdiction, seeking approval for withdrawing up to 3.125 million gallons per day (mgd) on an annual average. Similarly, Bryan County has submitted applications for two Floridan aquifer wells also located in Bulloch County, requesting permission to withdraw up to 3.500 mgd annually. The combined total of 6.625 mgd will supply water to the Bryan County Metaplant and its associated developments.

EPD has reviewed and drafted permits with consideration of special conditions previously discussed.

Following a public informational meeting held on February 26, 2024, where technical assessments and draft special conditions were discussed, EPD has incorporated feedback and prepared responses to comments received. The agency has updated the permits to address concerns raised by stakeholders, including potential impacts on existing wells, saltwater intrusion, and environmental considerations.

EPD has clarified that a mitigation fund must be established for the duration of groundwater withdrawals, and only licensed water well drillers or pump installers from Georgia are authorized to investigate alleged impacts to existing wells. The permits also stipulate that withdrawals must be replaced with surface water or an alternative source by a designated deadline.

‘The Basic Facts’

The Floridan aquifer sits below Florida and parts of Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia, including Bulloch and Bryan counties, as well as Savannah and Hilton Head Island.

Residents have raised concerns about the depletion of water supply in the aquifer, and the potential for salt water encroachment, as has been seen near HHI.

The experts from the EPD presented a slide show of ‘basic facts’ rebutting these concerns.

The Floridan aquifer is replenished through the “unconfined” layers. The EPD presenters described these areas as points where the aquifer rises to the surface level and there is no confining layer of soil and rocks separating the surface water from the aquifer.

These areas are defined in blue on the map above.

Bulloch and Bryan County sit above the ‘confined’ layers, where rain/surface water does not seep into the Floridan aquifer. There is not a close hydraulic connection between surface water and the aquifer in Bulloch County, the officials said.

Saltwater encroachment occurs in coastal areas where the confinement layer is thin, such as in the Hilton Head Island area. As discussed in a similar meeting held in February, the cone of depression slopes downward into the Savannah area, also negating the likelihood of saltwater encroachment.

The confining layer below Bulloch County is about 280 feet thick and does not allow water to pass through.

EPD’s modeling of the aquifer indicates the four new wells would create a maximum 19-foot draw down in existing wells closest to the new wells, which they describe as a minimal impact. That drawdown decreases with increasing distance from the new wells.

Since the 1980s, voluntary and mandatory reductions have allowed the Floridan aquifer to rebound by 40 feet in Georgia. Another round of permit reductions is scheduled for early 2025. Floridan aquifer levels are currently higher than in the 1960s, as reported by the US Geological Survey.

Well driller takes questions

Pete Peterson, a water well driller, was asked by EPD to give his perspective on the prospective wells.

“Your deep wells are not going to go dry,” stated Peterson. “None of the drillers here have had saltwater in Bryan or Bulloch County.”

Peterson says that for anyone concerned about their well going dry, there are multiple scenarios that would determine the cost of lowering their pump or digging a new well.

• How old is your well?
• Is the well accessible?
• Is there tree growth over it?
• Is it deep or shallow?

He said shallow wells will not be affected by the Hyundai wells in the Floridan aquifer. The last time most pumps were lowered was in 2008 during the drought, when they were dropped 20 feet.

Peterson implored the Hyundai group to pay for well drillers to assess wells in the area as a preemptive measure to ensure that well waters are not at risk.

Watch the three hours presentation and public hearing below and listen to comments from 16 citizens who signed up to speak.