Ogeechee Riverkeeper releases statement on Hyundai well permit approval

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) has released an official statement on the approval of the final permits for four Floridan aquifer wells that will be used by the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA).

“EPD and the State of Georgia cannot continue to allow industry to monopolize our limited, pristine groundwater,” ORK said in their release. “At the same time, area residents are forced to increase their reliance on treated surface water for drinking, and agricultural producers face water supply uncertainties and increased production costs. The 25 years EPD is giving to find an alternative water supply is inadequate and insufficient.”

The permits were approved by the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) on Oct. 7, 2024, after public meetings where residents of Bryan and Bulloch County expressed their concerns and grievances about the use of the Floridan aquifer wells.

The ORK filed a letter of intent (LOI) to sue in June 2024 and received a letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) confirming that a “reevaluation of its permit decision regarding its effects determination for water supplies is warranted,” they said.

The ORK said that the reevaluation decision requests that the applicants provide the USACE with an impact assessment of Hyundai’s water supply wells. Depending on the findings, the applicants may also be required to compensate for any resulting impacts. ORK also said that they will continue to carefully monitor the Corps’ reevaluation process.

“Regarding Georgia EPD’s well permits, Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) maintains its stance that people should be prioritized over industry,” ORK said. “These withdrawals will continue to strain our shared Floridan Aquifer, hindering the recovery of the cone of depression, while drinking water suppliers in our region have been required to reduce their withdrawals.”

The wells in Bulloch County could pump around 6 million gallons of water per day, which would be sent to Bryan County. The county would then provide the water to the Metaplant.

Another group, the Bulloch Action Coalition , has created a petition to have a referendum to overturn the agreement between Bulloch and Bryan County.

In response to the public’s concerns, a fund was created to help residents in Bulloch and Bryan counties affected by Hyundai Plant’s use of four Floridan aquifer wells. The Savannah Harbor I-16 Joint Development Authority (JDA) said previously that the fund would be “created to address any impacts to existing Floridan aquifer wells within the five-mile radius of the planned well sites.”

The ORK said that the Metaplant will also require support for businesses, warehouses and housing developments that are connected by water and sewer infrastructure.

“These pressures, and others, strain the Ogeechee Basin’s already delicate ecosystem,” ORK said.

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