Liberty County Development Authority to seek more data on local rivers

The Liberty County Development Authority voted Monday to seek additional testing for both the Laurel View and North Newport rivers as possible discharge sites for the county’s planned new wastewater treatment plant.

The decision comes after a June 9 standing-room-only public meeting about the Laurel View plant and heated discussions about how to handle any leftover treated wastewater that would not be reused for irrigation and cooling. The planned facility would start operations using 500,000 gallons of water per day and work up to 3 million gallons per day over the next 15 years.

The unanimous vote marks a small victory for environmentalists and residents who live along the Laurel View and connected rivers, amid the yearslong process to build the treatment plant. Residents of Liberty and Bryan Counties who use or live on the waterway organized against what they fear would be permanent damage to the Laurel View, Jerico, and Belfast rivers.

Some of them have suggested rerouting the discharge to the North Newport River, which also has significant salinity and is recovering after International Paper shut down last October.

Save the Laurel View River argues the plant’s freshwater discharge would hurt the Laurel View but could help the North Newport.

But some residents of nearby Riceboro say they don’t want treated wastewater in their river, either, and are skeptical of the plan.

Both rivers flow into St. Catherines Sound and the Atlantic Ocean between St. Catherines and Ossabaw islands.

On Monday night, Riceboro Mayor Chris Stacy told The Current GA he did not yet have a specific time and date for LCDA’s planned public meeting in Riceboro.

Chief Executive Officer Brynn Grant said she thought the June 9 meeting was “very productive. We’ve continued to have a number of good conversations ever since then.”

The LCDA and the plant’s project engineer are now waiting for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to set wastewater allocations – specific estimates of how much wastewater the proposed plant could legally discharge into the North Newport River – before deciding where to send any leftover treated wastewater.

Meanwhile, LCDA is in discussions with the Ogeechee Riverkeeper about conducting water quality testing in both locations, Grant said.

“We trust their work and we trust where they are coming from,” she added. “They are an environmental nonprofit that is dedicated to protecting the river. So we know that all people would likely trust what the results are that they report to us and to the public. So we’re excited about this potential agreement.”

Updating the science

At the Monday meeting, Grant asked the development board to approve three efforts:

• A memorandum of understanding, which is still being negotiated, between the LCDA and Ogeechee Riverkeeper, which would provide testing in both rivers for one year and the option of renewing for a second year;
  
• Additional testing by Water Environment Consultants, a private firm based in Mount Pleasant, S.C. that would test salinity in both rivers, model how long it would take for freshwater to disperse, and “provide data on how freshwater and saltwater interact at potential discharge locations”;
  
• Citizen training led by Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Water and Health, which would meet for four Saturdays, likely in August at a time and place to be determined, and culminate in Adopt-a-Stream and water testing certifications for at least 25 people.

Ogeechee Riverkeeper’s yearlong testing would track various factors across all four seasons, while Water Environment Consultants’ salinity testing would take “probably 30 to 60 days,” according to project engineer Chris Stovall of Thomas & Hutton.

Ogeechee Riverkeeper is seeking $56,000 for the first year to cover the cost of specialized equipment, but would charge $45,000 the second year for testing. Water Environment Consultants of Mount Pleasant, S.C., a private firm, is charging $4,500 for salinity testing in each river for a total of $9,000. Georgia Southern’s fee for providing instruction, materials, and food for the four-week workshop is $7,750.

Ogeechee Riverkeeper Executive Director Damon Mullis told The Current GA Tuesday, “We would buy probes for both rivers to measure salinity, temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen at 30-minute intervals, 24 hours a day. Additionally, we will collect monthly data on nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria, PFAS, and 5-day biological oxygen demand. All collected data will be publicly available and will provide everyone with a good baseline for both rivers’ health before the area’s growth continues.”

Members of the development authority board present unanimously approved the proposal. State Rep. Al Williams, the board’s chair, was at the Georgia Assembly Special Session in Atlanta. Board Member Marcus Sack was absent.

In a press release issued after the meeting Monday, the LCDA said it hoped to reach an agreement with Ogeechee Riverkeeper “before the end of July” and that “(t)he data will support planning, ensure transparency, and provide a scientific foundation for decisions.”

Williams, who has stood firm on the validity of the data the Georgia Department of Natural Resources presented in 2009, issued this statement: “These initiatives reflect our commitment to transparency, sound science, and community involvement. We want to make sure our community has access to credible information, to understand the science behind the decisions we will be making, and to have meaningful opportunities to be part of the process.”

The LCDA also launched a new website, cleanwaterbrightfuture.com, dedicated to the ongoing discussions around the proposed membrane bioreactor (MBR) wastewater treatment plant. The site contains all documents from the LCDA’s utilities page, as well as news coverage, information posters from the June 9 public meeting, and will add a third Frequently Asked Questions page gleaned from comment cards submitted at that meeting.

Board passes FY 2027 budget

Also on Monday, the development authority board voted to approve a $7.15 million annual budget.

General fund revenue is estimated at $6 million and expenses at $5 million, with $700,000 in reserve. The lion’s share of funding comes from the estimated $4.3 million in millage revenue.

Tradeport East Property Owners Association is projected to bring in $294,000, with $194,000 in expenses and $100,000 in net ordinary income to be transferred to capital reserves.

Water and sewer revenues are expected to reach $1.86 million due largely to system connection fees, with $1.3 million in expenses and $541,000 in reserve.

$541,000 is earmarked for wastewater treatment plant funding and $122,000 for City of Midway sewer. $66,000 will go to meter replacement costs.

The LCDA also expects $1.2 million from sales of non-industrial property.

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.