Understand the Facts

Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) is the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Georgia. It is situated on nearly 3,000 acres 20 miles west of Savannah, at the Bryan County Megasite.

The facility is Georgia’s largest economic development project in history. It represents an estimated $7.59 billion in investment and will create 8,500 new jobs for the region over the next eight years. Additionally, more than $2.5 billion in capital investment and approximately 6,900 jobs have been announced by HMGMA suppliers in 10 counties across the state.

The average wage at HMGMA will be $58,105 plus benefits which is higher than the current average wages across Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham and Effingham Counties. More than 1,000 people have already been hired, and 78 percent of those hires have come within a 60-mile radius of the site. About 96 percent of production hires are within a 60-mile radius of the site.

These projects and direct and indirect jobs will add to local community tax bases, contributing to schools, public safety, healthcare and disposable income that will support other local businesses and services, as well as nonprofits.

No, there is enough water in the area to support industry, agriculture and private use while protecting and preserving the environment. We understand that whenever new developments are proposed, nearby residents can be concerned about the impact on their homes and properties. This is why we have been and will continue to work closely with state and federal authorities to understand and prepare for any potential impacts.

Yes. Since 2014, the Bryan County Megasite has been under federal environmental review. We are not aware of another megasite in the country that has garnered more review from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The Savannah JDA spent more than $27 million executing due diligence and environmental mitigation on the megasite before recruiting Hyundai Motor Group. Additionally, all state environmental procedures have been followed.

The Savannah JDA has been and remains committed to doing this the right way.

There has been tremendous improvement in the health of the Floridan aquifer.

The depth in the Savannah Cone of Depression in the Floridan aquifer groundwater level has risen approximately 40 feet in the Savannah region over the last 20 years due to implementation of withdrawal reductions in the regions that utilize it. Please see November 2023 Georgia EPD Updates – Floridan Aquifer groundwater resource update.

According to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (Georgia EPD), there is not an issue of saltwater encroachment in Bryan and Bulloch counties. However, there is a detectable simulated impact on water level around the Hilton Head Island area, where saltwater encroachment is an issue.

There are viable short-term, interim and long-term plans for the future water needs of HMGMA. In the short-term, during construction and start-up, HMGMA will utilize Bryan County Yellow Zone wells and existing permitted capacity. In the interim, four new wells have been approved by the Georgia EPD in Bulloch County to supply drinking water to customers in the region, including HMGMA.

In the long-term, surface water and potentially other viable alternative water sources will be utilized to provide drinking water to HMGMA and the region. The surface water will be drawn from the Savannah River, but it will take time to develop the necessary treatment and water transportation infrastructure. The Georgia EPD well permits require this alternative water source to be completed within 25 years. However, it could be accomplished sooner with funding and the support of local and state partners.

This water supply infrastructure will not only serve HMGMA, but will also benefit the community as a whole, providing better 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 Georgia EPD permits allow for the withdrawal of 6.6 million gallons of water per day. HMGMA is expected to use a maximum of 4 million gallons daily, and the additional capacity will support related developments in the area.

For reference, the State of Georgia withdraws an average of 785 billion gallons of water per day from the Florida aquifer, and the state of Florida withdraws an average of 2.53 billion gallons per day. The Floridan aquifer is one of the most productive aquifers in the world.

As part of the Coastal Sound Science Initiative, the Georgia EPD designated the Red, Yellow and Green Zones based on proximity to the Floridan aquifer’s cone of depression near Savannah and how groundwater pumping in those areas impacted saltwater intrusion in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Groundwater withdrawals in Bulloch County, which is in the Green Zone, will have a smaller but potentially detectable impact on saltwater encroachment in the Hilton Head Island area.

Bryan and Bulloch counties partnered to develop a multi-phased plan to meet the drinking water needs of the growing area, including the development of the Bryan County Megasite. The first part of this plan is to develop four wells in Bulloch County. Georgia EPD, which regulates the state’s groundwater resources, issued permits for these wells in October 2024.

The impact will be limited, and only affect a fairly small area. The Georgia EPD has modeled the impacts to Floridan aquifer wells in the area. If all four wells are pumping simultaneously, nonstop at maximum capacity, the local static water level in the Floridan aquifer will likely have a maximum decrease of 19 feet near the intersection of I-16 and State Route 119. The water level gradient will return to normal levels over a relatively short distance, and any wells outside of a five-mile radius will not see a drop over 10 feet. Typically, Georgia EPD considers anything outside of a 30-foot drop a nonsignificant impact.

As an added safeguard, Georgia EPD has established special permit conditions requiring Bryan and Bulloch counties to establish a mitigation fund to address impacts to existing Floridan aquifer wells.

Pumping will be ramped up over time and the Groundwater Sustainability Program will engage in proactive water level monitoring with the intent to inform owners who could be impacted before and their water levels drop.

There are three existing agricultural wells in the five-mile area and two more on the outskirts of it, according to Georgia EPD.

Bryan and Bulloch County estimate that there could be about 1,100 residential wells in the area. It’s impossible to know exactly how many because Bulloch County did not require residential well permits until recently. This estimate is based on an analysis of Geographic Information System parcel data and habitable structures in the area. It’s also impossible to know how many of them utilize the Floridan aquifer.

No, most well pumps will not be affected because they are set 30 to 50 feet below the local static water level. So even if the level drops 19 feet, they will still work. It’s possible that older wells with pumps set closer to the water level could be impacted, but this is not the standard setup for modern wells.

The Groundwater Sustainability Program (GSP) was created by Bryan and Bulloch counties to address possible short-term impacts to existing Floridan aquifer wells and oversee the long-term plan for future water needs for HMGMA and related development. The long-term water solution includes a plan to deliver surface water or other alternative supply within 25 years.

As a part of the program, Bryan and Bulloch counties will each appoint a Well Mitigation Manager that will be responsible for administering the program’s operations, managing mitigation efforts and ensuring the goals of the program are met, as well as an Advisory Committees to provide recommendations.

The well mitigation fund, a part of the GSP, will be available to owners of existing Floridan aquifer wells within a five-mile radius of the I-16 and State Route 119 interchange. It is an added safeguard to support any property owners who have been affected by the new wells out of an abundance of caution. The fund will be up and running before the wells begin pumping.

Applicants will provide appropriate documentation and recommendations from a Georgia-licensed well driller or pump installer demonstrating the significant impact to the well(s) in question. The fund will finance activities to mitigate these impacts in a timely manner, potentially including lowering well pumps, deepening wells or drilling new wells.

The Groundwater Sustainability Program will supervise the fund and establish long-term, joint monitoring of water levels in conjunction with local educational institutions. This monitoring will enable GSP to develop a notification-proactive warning system to notify well owners prior to potential impacts.

The Groundwater Sustainability Program will inform residents who may be impacted by the wells through a variety of methods, including door hangers, flyers, mailings, social media, email, and a live workshop. A website is being established that will provide general information and updates as well as the ability to sign up for information and submit claims online.

Interim water solution Georgia EPD conditions include a mitigation fund to address public comments and is an added safeguard to address any impacts to existing Floridan aquifer wells within the five-mile radius of the planned well sites.

Yes, the fund will have ample resources to provide remediation to anyone affected by the wells.

The fund currently has $1 million in pledges, including $250,000 each from Hyundai Motor Company, the Savannah JDA, and the Development Authorities of Bulloch County and Bryan County.

For reference, local drillers estimate the cost of lowering a well pump by 40 feet to be between $900 to $1,200. Replacing old wells is typically in the $12,000 to $15,000 range. Specific remediation parameters for the fund are still being determined and will be made publicly available before the end of 2024.

The Groundwater Sustainability Program, which the mitigation fund is a part of, will develop policies for increasing the fund balance based on a portion of proceeds from water service charges. The Well Mitigation Managers will also make appropriate requests for additional funding from the respective Boards of Commission to approve any modifications to these amounts to maintain a sufficient fund balance.

The Groundwater Sustainability Program will also implement an investment policy in compliance with Georgia law relating to the investment municipally managed funds.

The USACE is responsible for Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which involves discharges into waterways and wetlands. The 404 permit for HMGMA was approved in 2022 and is focused on it’s output and any impact to wetlands and streams. Water supply is not typically the focus of these types of USACE permits, because Georgia EPD is responsible for permitting drinking water and groundwater usage.

On August 23, the USACE requested additional data on the projected water supply for HMGMA and an assessment of the effects the project may have on municipal and private water supplies. The Savannah JDA has shared this information, and USACE is currently reviewing the data to determine if any updates are needed.

During the site selection process, all utility specifications are considered confidential information and integral to a manufacturing facility’s operations. We do not publicize confidential information on behalf of our project partners. Once a project decision has been finalized, utility information becomes available. However, the water requirements for this project have been publicly available on the GDEcD’s dedicated page for this project since July 22, 2022.

Please email questions or concerns to info@truthaboutwater.org.