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HMGMA and related developments will have an enormously positive impact on our region.
There is enough water to support industry, agriculture and private usage without harming the environment.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (Georgia EPD) approved permits for four wells in October 2024.
This website is here to give you clear and accurate information about Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), related developments and the future water supply. Our goal is to keep our local community and anyone interested informed with timely updates. We invite you to use Truth About Water as your go-to source to understand the facts, stay informed, and view project timelines, FAQs, maps, videos and documents.
The Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority (Savannah JDA) includes the development authorities of Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, and Effingham counties in Southeast Georgia. Founded in 2014, the Savannah JDA combines resources to attract and facilitate regionally significant projects. We are the team responsible for growing jobs, opportunities, and quality of life for the residents of our counties.
The Savannah JDA has been working together collaboratively with local governments and the State of Georgia on facilitating the development of HMGMA for more than 10 years, including how to provide the site with a safe, sustainable, and secure source of water.
We understand that change can be worrying, especially when it has the potential to affect our homes and livelihoods. We care about doing economic development the right way for our community. That’s why we are thoroughly analyzing the impact these changes may have.
We want to reassure the community that there is a viable plan for the future water needs of HMGMA and related development. Analysis by both government bodies and the private sector has concluded that there is enough water to support industry and agriculture while protecting and preserving the environment, including the Floridan aquifer and the Ogeechee watershed.
HMGMA will create 8,500 new jobs and $7.59 billion in capital investment for the region in the next eight years. 78 percent of new hires come from within 60 miles of HMGMA.
Has been spent executing due diligence and environmental mitigation on the Bryan County Megasite (home of HMGMA) since 2014.
The Georgia Department of Environmental Protection (Georgia EPD) is responsible for groundwater withdrawal and drinking water permits. They approved permits for four wells to provide water to HMGMA and related developments for up to 25 years.
Maximum amount of water the four wells can withdraw on a daily basis.
Total amount of water withdrawn from the Floridan aquifer every day.
The size of the area that may see a drop in well water levels over 10 feet.
The maximum amount local well water levels could drop if all new wells are simultaneously pumping at maximum capacity. Anything outside of a 30-foot drop is considered “non-significant” by Georgia EPD because it doesn’t impact modern wells.
Fund established as an added safeguard to support property owners if they are affected by a drop in water levels.
Amount of time starting in October 2024 to develop and present plan to provide long-term water for HMGMA and related development.
The Floridan aquifer is one of the largest and most productive aquifers in the world.
It covers 100,000 square miles across all of Florida and parts of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
Two state and a federal agency have been studying and modeling the Floridan aquifer closely for 27 years.
The Floridan aquifer groundwater level has risen approximately 40 feet in the Savannah region over the last 20 years.
Of the 2.5 billion gallons withdrawn a day, the Bryan County Megasite is anticipated to draw only 0.000026%.
More than $27 million executing due diligence and environmental mitigation has been spent over the past 10 years.
The Georgia Department of Environmental Protection (Georgia EPD) is responsible for groundwater withdrawal and drinking water permits. The four new wells are an interim plan to supply water to the region.
In the long term, the surface water will be drawn from the Savannah River, but it will take time to develop the necessary treatment and water transportation infrastructure. Bryan and Bulloch counties have six months (as of October 2024) to develop and present a long-term plan that includes the use of surface water.
This water supply infrastructure will not only serve HMGMA, but will also benefit the community as a whole, providing access to utilities for a growing area. By continuing to explore sustainable water supply solutions and coordinating with the Georgia EPD, water will be available for future growth, while protecting and preserving the Ogeechee watershed.
The development’s effect on groundwater levels is well below what would be considered a “significant impact.”
The Georgia EPD has modeled the impacts to the Floridan aquifer wells in the area and determined that the water level would have a maximum decrease of 19-feet if all the wells were simultaneously pumping at maximum capacity.
Any wells outside of a five-mile radius will not see a drop over 10 feet. Typically, the Georgia EPD considers anything outside a 30-foot drop a non significant impact.
There are three existing agricultural wells in the five-mile area and two more on the outskirts. All five agricultural wells are below the 30-foot water level. It is estimated there could be about 1,100 residential wells in the area.
Groundwater Sustainability Program created by Bryan and Bulloch counties to address possible interim water solution short-term impacts and long-term plan to deliver water.
Out of an abundance of caution, there will be a mitigation plan to address any pottential impacts on existing private and agricultural wells.
The fund currently had $1 million in commitments from HMGMA, Bryan County, Bulloch County and the Savannah JDA.
The fund will have ample resources to provide any remediation to anyone affected by the wells within the five-mile radius for activities like lowering well pumps or deepening wells.
However, most modern well pumps are set 30 feet to 50 feet below the static water level, so even if the lefvels drop 19 feet, the wells would not be affected.
The Groundwater Sustainability Program will outline eligibility criteria and everything that will be done to ensure existing well owners are made right.
Today, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (Georgia EPD) approved the permits for the four wells to support Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) and related developments.
Today, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (Georgia EPD) approved the permits for the four wells to support Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) and related developments.
We have received a request from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to provide additional data on the projected water supply for Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA).