Floridan aquifer shows recovery after International Paper ceases operations

Data from the United States Geological Survey shows that the level of the Floridan aquifer in Savannah shot up about 2 feet shortly after International Paper shut down production at its nearby mill.

The paper giant is permitted to withdraw 12.2 million gallons a day of water from the aquifer in Savannah, one of the largest groundwater withdrawal permits on the coast. By contrast, the Hyundai plant in Ellabell, which has drawn sharp criticism for its water needs, is expected to use about 4 million gallons a day when it’s fully operational.

In August, International Paper announced that the facility would be shuttered by October. Data from a USGS monitoring well on Hutchinson Island, across the Savannah River from the plant, shows the water level in the aquifer — measured in feet below land surface — beginning to rise around Sept. 18.

Hydrologists, including Wei Zeng with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, predicted the rebound. At a meeting of the two local water planning councils last month, Zeng said a reduction in demand would likely result in a benefit in the “cone of depression” — the area in Savannah where water pressure is reduced because aquifer water has been pumped out faster that it’s naturally replenished. Pumping in Savannah has affected wells on Hilton Head Island, making them salty, and leading to the state-required withdrawal restrictions to protect the aquifer.

Jim Reichard, a geology professor at Georgia Southern University, said records from the same well on Hutchison have shown a steady rise in aquifer levels since 2000.

“My guess is that we’ve seen most of the rise from the shutdown that we’re going to see, but we’ll have to wait a while to see how the trend plays out,” Reichard wrote in an email to The Current GA. “As the long-term plot shows, the pressure in the aquifer has been slowly rebounding for at least the past 25 years or so.”

The USGS also operates a monitoring well in Liberty County, where a second International Paper site also closed around the same time. That facility was permitted to withdraw 11.6 million gallons of water a day. But data for that well is posted only through Sept. 21, 2025, as is the data for most other USGS wells in the Savannah area, Reichard said.

“Assuming the shutdown in Liberty County took place around the same time, any head rise in Liberty County won’t be seen until more recent data from this well becomes available – same thing goes for the other Upper Floridan Aquifer wells in Savannah.”

The Tide brings regular notes and observations on news and events by The Current GA staff.