Construction underway for wastewater treatment facility near Hyundai Mega Site

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Some people in Bryan County are concerned about potential pollution facing the Ogeechee River as the area continues to see growth.

Some riverkeepers say this has been an issue they’ve been worried about since the announcement of the new Hyundai Mega Site.

Folks with Ogeechee Riverkeeper say with this growth, there are some positives, but also some negatives.

“Some of the negatives is impacts to our water resources and that’s our mission and our concern,” said Damon Mullis, the executive director of the Ogeechee Riverkeeper.

One of the main things Mullis says he’s worried about is the management and control of wastewater in the area, as the population continues to grow.

“There’s a need to manage wastewater capacity and increase wastewater capacity so we have to treat, you know, all the human waste,” said Mullis.

Something the county is already working on.

“With the new industrial coming to Bryan County and the growth, it’s important that we, you know, look ahead and try and keep pollution to a minimum,” said Matthew Kent, the Bryan County Communications Manager.

Right now, construction is underway on a new wastewater treatment facility located right across from the mega site.

“This new wastewater treatment facility is state of the art. It filters the water several, several times before it goes back into the environment,” Kent.

Something Mullis says they’ll be tracking closely.

“We want to make sure that that wastewater is treated as much as possible and doesn’t have a negative impact on the river,” said Mullis.

Mullis says to track the potential future pollution, Ogeechee Riverkeeper is testing the water now for a baseline.

“We have monitors upstream and downstream of the proposed discharge site and we’re collecting data every 30 minutes,” said Mullis.

Mullis says they’ll continue tracking the waters here on the Ogeechee River once the Hyundai Mega Site begins operations, to see what pollutant affects it might have.

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