Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026
Good morning! Coastal Georgia is a watery place and today’s lineup reflects that fact. We have news about private recreational docks in the salt marsh, wetlands at the OpenAI data center site and wastewater from the Hyundai Metaplant.
Just a reminder, next Wednesday’s newsletter will be all about midterm election results. So don’t forget to vote, and we’ll see you with a regular Coast Watch on Nov. 11.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
DNR heeds dock protests
A committee of the Georgia Board of Natural Resources on Tuesday recommended limiting private recreational docks in coastal waters to 1,000 feet, down from a proposed 1,650 feet. The decision follows intense public opposition from environmental groups and citizens, including hundreds of public comment letters urging protection for the state’s salt marshes. A formal vote on the new regulations is scheduled for the full board’s December meeting.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
72 acres of wetlands
OpenAI needs a permit to fill 72 acres of forested wetlands in Effingham County to build its hyperscale data center, as The Current GA‘s Mary Landers reports. Wetlands provide natural drainage that helps to prevent flooding. With so much planned to be paved over, flooding in the area could worsen, warns Jeff Beauvais of One Hundred Miles. The proposed mitigation is not likely to fix the problem for locals, he said. A close look at one of the proposed alternative sites for the data center reveals it was once eyed as a possible spaceport and is now slated to become a wildlife management area. Public comment on the proposal will being accepted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through Nov. 4.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
More cars = more wastewater
Need to assemble 200,000 cars? Just add water.
Hyundai’s Bryan County plant in Ellabell has expanded its permitted wastewater output by about half a million gallons per day to do just that, as Jillian Magtoto of GPB News reports. That water moves throughout the factory to finish metals, purge sediment buildup, cool off equipment and more.
The leftover water is then channeled for treatment to the North Bryan Water Reclamation Facility just across Interstate 16, before bubbling from an underwater outfall into the Ogeechee River.
Also noted
- Four air quality monitors were installed earlier this month in greater West Savannah to monitor for air pollutants. It’s the most recent activity of the Savannah Air Quality Monitoring Network, an effort that includes Harambee House, Georgia Tech and the City of Savannah. “This is not just about collecting data, but also about working together with the community to better understand local air quality concerns and identify possible solutions,” said Cristina Cordova, sustainability coordinator with Harambee House, Inc.
- McIntosh County filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Andy Desmond over the zoning of Hogg Hummock on Sapelo Island. McIntosh claims Desmond, who is acting as his own counsel, delivered the summons to the wrong person. Read the motion here.
- The Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear two cases related to the Georgia Public Service Commission’s and former Commissioner Tricia Pridemore’s failure to produce alleged public records requested by the utility watchdog group Energy and Policy Institute. The case now returns to district court.
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DNR backtracks on dock length, settling on 1,000-foot limit
A Georgia Board of Natural Resources committee recommended limiting private recreational docks to 1,000 feet following intense opposition to a proposal that would have extended them up to 1,650 feet.
OpenAI data center would fill 72 acres of wetlands
To build its data center in Effingham, OpenAI first needs permission to alter 72 acres of wetlands.
Hyundai expands wastewater permit to increase vehicle production
Hyundai’s Bryan County plant in Ellabell expanded its permitted wastewater output by approximately half a million gallons per day to support increased production capacity.
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