In a press release issued Tuesday, the Liberty County Development Authority announced it has reached an agreement with the environmental nonprofit Ogeechee Riverkeeper “to establish a comprehensive baseline water quality monitoring program for the Laurel View and North Newport Rivers in Liberty County.”
The agreement comes amid LCDA’s plans to build an advanced wastewater treatment plant that would process between 500,000 and 3 million gallons of water per day. The LCDA says the reclaimed water “is safe to use for irrigation, fire suppression systems, and in industrial processes – a key component to protecting aquifer water for drinking use only.”
Under the agreement, the LCDA will pay Ogeechee Riverkeeper $56,395 during the first year to monitor both rivers, with an option to renew for up to three consecutive years at $45,570 per year. Ogeechee Riverkeeper assumes liability and must provide insurance to cover those involved in testing.
Ogeechee Riverkeeper Executive Director Damon Mullis told The Current GA the date to start testing is “to be determined,” adding, “We must receive the equipment, schedule with certified labs, and finalize procedures. But we will start as soon as responsibly possible.”
The group will work with project engineering firm Thomas and Hutton to develop specific testing parameters, such as where and how often to sample, how samples will be handled, and quality control standards.
According to Ogeechee Riverkeeper’s Liberty County data page, the group will collect data at potential discharge sites on both rivers, measuring dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, and temperature every 30 minutes.
Every month, Ogeechee Riverkeeper also will take monthly samples in the field, checking for 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, enterococci, ammonia, total phosphorus, orthophosphate, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and PFAS.
The dataset also will serve as a baseline for both rivers’ health, which will provide important information for any future projects, according to Ogeechee Riverkeeper’s website.
All data will be available online at www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/libertywater .
In the press release, LCDA Chief Executive Officer Brynn Grant said, “This partnership reflects a shared commitment to transparency, sound science, and informed decisionmaking. We believe meaningful conversations about our community’s future should be grounded in credible data. We are grateful to Ogeechee Riverkeeper for bringing their expertise and reputation to this important effort.”
Mullis added, “Ogeechee Riverkeeper has and always will push for science-based decision making. We will also continue to advocate treatment at the highest possible level for the waste created and push for the most stringent permit conditions we can get to protect our waters as growth continues. We are encouraged by the LCDA’s willingness to collect more data and ORK is willing to partner with organizations that seek to make important and impactful decisions fully based in the best science.”
LCDA Board Chairman and State Representative Al Williams stated, “This effort is about learning, listening, and ensuring that future decisions are informed by quality data and a transparent process.”
The LCDA has set up a separate website, cleanwaterbrightfuture.com, where documents related to the proposed wastewater treatment plant and the reasons why the LCDA is pushing for it are available. According to the LCDA, Liberty County cannot attract more businesses or meet growing residential demand without expanding its wastewater treatment capabilities.
Opponents of the LCDA’s treatment plant, like the group Save the Laurel View River, contend that the treated wastewater is not drinkable and therefore should not go into the Laurel View. Instead, they want it discharged into the North Newport near Riceboro, which has seen decades of industrial discharges from International Paper and SNF and their predecessors.
The group also questions whether the freshwater discharge would upset salinity levels in the Laurel View estuary, prompting members to call for moving that discharge to the North Newport River – which has similar salinity levels.
Riceboro residents have said they were not asked whether they wanted the discharge.
The LCDA will hold a meeting to address Riceboro residents’ questions at 6 p.m., Monday, July 13, at the Riceboro Youth Center, 5649 South Coastal Highway.
In addition, the LCDA has partnered with Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Water and Health to train citizens in water monitoring this August. Dates and location will be announced soon, according to LCDA spokesperson Katie Dye.
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