Grice Connect has received questions about information circulating regarding a bill in the Georgia legislature that that will allow GA EPD to issue water permits in areas where no public water service can be provided within a set period of time.
Bulloch County citizens have become concerned that this an effort to allow a private company to bypass Bulloch County and receive permits from the EPD to drill the wells needed to provide water to Bryan County for the Hyundai MetaPlant. That is not the intent of this bill which is House Bill or HB 1146.
HB 1146 is NOT for proposed Bulloch Wells
We reached out the Bulloch County's local legislative delegation for clarification on the purpose and intent of this legislation. Representative Lehman Franklin responded and confirmed that this bill has nothing to do with Bulloch County's permit application or providing water to Hyundai Metaplant.
"The purpose of HB 1146 is to allow a private company to provide water to workforce housing in Bryan County where the Bryan County does not have infrastructure or capacity, until the County can catch up with the infrastructure and figure out capacity," said Representative Franklin. He referred us to Water Utility Management who has requested the legislative change for further explanation of the need for HB 1146 and its intent.
Providing water to residential developments around the Metaplant
Water Utility Management, the largest private water system operator in the State of Georgia, a Savannah-based Corporation, is seeking this legislative authority in order to provide scarce drinking water to support workforce housing in close proximity to the massive Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County.
Currently, Bryan County has no available water to support housing growth in Northern Bryan County. Bryan County Representative Ron Stephens has introduced House Bill 1146 that simply allows a private water company to provide a water supply for residential growth in the case where public water is not available.
Water Utility Management currently serves over 32,000 households in 17 counties, including 5,000 customers in Bryan County, and over 1,000 residences within five miles of the Hyundai Plant.
Bryan County has reached the limits of their groundwater permit, has no water available, and now must rely on water coming from outside of the county.
This legislation has nothing to do with the 6.5 million gallons of water per day needed to supply the Hyundai Plant
Water Utility Management, through aggressive management and implementation of numerous conservation measures, currently has a sufficient groundwater supply in Bryan County to meet the short-term demand for residential water service until a proposed $225,000,000 Northern Bryan Water and Sewer System can be designed and built.
Mark Smith, CEO of Water Utility Management states, "We have enough existing water capacity to support the construction of up to 3,000 homes in this area of Bryan County where they have with zero water capacity. We are ready to serve on an almost immediate basis."
Letter of Concurrence
Currently a private water company must obtain a Letter of Concurrence from the county they would like to provide water service to. Once they obtain the Letter of Concurrence the company then has to apply for a permit from the EPD.
According to Smith, Bryan County is delaying the issuing of the Letter of Concurrence while they attempt to figure out the construction of their proposed water system. With this legislation they could go directly to the EPD for permitting without needing a Letter of Concurrence.
Meanwhile, there is a demand and need for 1,000's of workforce homes to be build around the plant. Without water, new home construction has been impacted while the clock is ticking on the opening of the Hyundai Metaplant.
This legislation will allow them to use their water capacity to provide water to residential construction projects to provide needed new homes until Bryan County figures out their future plans.
When asked about their interest in serving water to Hyundai Metaplant, Smith explained that their company is a residential water company. They are focused on provided critically needed water to developers for residential developments.