Water Utility Consultant Tony Rojas and Trent Thompson, VP of Infrastructure with Thomas & Hutton presented the proposed Well Mitigation Plan to Bulloch County Commissioners Tuesday.
On October 7, 2024, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division
(GA EPD) issued two permits to the Bryan County Board of Commissions to utilize 3.5 million
gallons per day (mgd) on a monthly average and 3.5 mgd on an annual average from the Floridan aquifer
from two wells located in Bulloch County; and Permit No. 016-0014 to the Bulloch County Board of
Commissions to utilize 3.5 million gallons per day (mgd) on a monthly average and 3.125 mgd on an
annual average from the Floridan Aquifer from two wells located in Bulloch County. The four wells
collectively are proposed to serve the Interstate 16 Industrial Mega-Site in Bryan County and other
associated development.
As part of the Special Conditions in these two permits, Bryan and Bulloch Counties are to “create a joint
municipal managed fund, which may include contributions from other entities, to address any potential
significant impacts to existing Floridan aquifer wells in an area defined by a circle with a 5-mile radius
from the center point at the I-16 and Highway 119 interchange.”
Below is a summary. To read the full plan, scroll to the bottom of the article.
Stakeholder Outreach
The goal is to:
- have a website with available information, the mitigation process and a list of well drillers who are on call so there is no delay.
- Have people voluntarily submit information to the county so the county can proactively contact people when necessary, based off of a maintained database.
- Utilize social media, door hangers, and emails
- hold Advisory Committee meetings – determined by Well Mitigation Managers
On-Call Well Drillers
- Bids and RFPs for 3 well drilling companies who are well drillers and well pump installers
- 100-mile radius of mitigation area
- Experience in the area wells and remediation
- Sufficient personnel and equipment to respond with issues resolved “within a few days”
Mitigation Measures
- Lowering Well Pump below the anticipated long-term reduced water well (they state this will likely be the majority)
- Modify existing pump equipment
- Deepen the well
- Construct a new well and abandon existing
- Connect the impacted party to an existing public water system
- With consent of the affected user, provide other acceptable means of mitigation
- Assist the well owner in the application for new or modified non-drinking water applications
Mitigation Fund
- $1,000,000 ‘starting budget’ due to $250k contributions of Bulloch County, Bryan County, JDA, and Hyundai (75% taxpayer funded)
- Commissions to put additional funds in there as needed, subject to Well Mitigation Managers discretion and oversight who will come back to commissions and ask for more money
- $0.10 per 1,000 used gallons from Bryan County for 1st five years, $120,000 per year estimate
- Hope to consider Investment strategies like the ONEGeorgia Fund
Commentary & Questions
Commissioner Ray Davis said he had concerns about the five-mile radius and said the plan is limiting liability for EPD and others.
Said it’s not likely that the water is pumping 6.6 million gallons 24/7 and EPD wouldn’t normally have a mitigation fund unless wells dropped by thirty feet. . “They’re risk averse. They said you might have a substandard well or we want the public to know there is a plan in place to address that. So I think what they were is risk averse. I think five miles i probably further than you need to go,” Rojas said.
Trent Thompson said the counties can opt to have a broader radius.
Commissioner-elect Newkirk asked why shallow wells were not included in the plan. Trent Thompson said a shallow well is anything above the confining layer because there is no activity when there’s drawdown on the aquifer. Newkirk disagreed, citing historical issues arising from wells near Fort Howard and natural springs drying up in recent years. Newkirk also asked why community wells won’t be remediated by the well mitigation fund, such as those on shared wells in subdivisions. Thompson said those systems have maintenance personnel, so it’s not required by EPD.
Newkirk: “But they can still possibly dry up…cause I know there are some in that five mile radius.”
T. Thompson: “There are some within that five mile radius and the most likely impact is that they would need to lower their well pump so they would have their operations staff simply lower their pump.”
Newkirk also pressed the consultants on the plan to have the ticket for remediation to be initiated within 24 hours, but no further written obligation for actual resolution, referencing the previous statements of “a few days” without water.
Rojas responded that the timeline is something for which they are seeking input, but that ‘a few days’ is the intent.
View the comprehensive packet on the plan here.
