Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Good morning! We have updates today on three ongoing issues: wastewater treatment in Liberty County, zoning on Sapelo Island, and cleanup at Brunswick’s Superfund sites. Let’s catch you up.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: DEVELOPMENT
Laurel River
Over 200 Riceboro residents attended a meeting to discuss the Liberty County Development Authority’s proposed Laurel View wastewater treatment plant, which would use a membrane bioreactor to send treated water to the nearby North Newport River, as The Current GA’s Robin Kemp reports.
Among the issues explored was whether a data center was under consideration in Liberty. Brynn Grant, CEO of the development authority, flatly denied it. “We do not have a project that is a data center that we are working,” she said.
COMMUNITY: NEWS
Sapelo zoning update
The saga of Sapelo’s zoning continued this week when the county commission met in a special called meeting originally intended to codify the Hogg Hummock zoning proposed in early June. That zoning, which would have limited homes on Sapelo to 1,800 square feet “under roof,” was made moot when the commission moved forward with a more tightly written substitute on Friday. But with the hearing already set, commissioners heard comment from two residents about the latest version of the zoning, before formally rejecting the previous version. The next step is a hearing before the zoning board on Aug. 4.
Officials are racing to establish new zoning before August 10 when the current moratorium on building on Sapelo expires. Threats of a lawsuit have made the county reluctant to extend it again.
The proposed zoning now being considered would limit house size on Sapelo Island to 1,550 square feet under roof with an additional 400-square-foot porch. The zoning battle has been ongoing since September 2023, when the commission approved the construction of 3,000-square-foot houses up to 37 feet tall, which sparked fears of gentrification and higher taxes among longtime Gullah Geechee residents.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Superfund tour
Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Administrator Kevin McOmber on Monday visited three of the Brunswick area’s four Superfund sites to assess the progress of hazardous waste cleanup and discuss redevelopment potential, as The Current GA’s Mary Landers reports.
Along with the Superfund updates, McOmber discussed changes the Trump administration has fostered at EPA. For starters, the Southeast regional staff is about 25% smaller than it was at the start of 2025. Nationwide, the emphasis is off programs that limit climate-warming greenhouse gases. Also out the door: environmental justice efforts that seek to rectify disproportionate environmental harm suffered by minority and/or impoverished communities.
Also noted
- Data centers are already being scrutinized over their water and electricity needs. The next question may well be one about transparency. An Alabama data center’s non-disclosure agreement required city officials to destroy records, Inside Climate News reports. And that secrecy agreement was initially governed by Georgia law before the parties crossed the border to Alabama.
- Speaking of data centers, two Georgia Tech researchers write in The Conversation that their research suggests that data center development can boost growth and jobs – but these benefits are most pronounced when the local economy is more urban and developed.
- UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography offers a special talk “Robots Below the Surface: How Underwater Gliders Help Hurricane Forecasts (and You!)” with faculty member Catherine Edwards at 6:30 p.m. July 21 at SkIO Library Auditorium, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah. RSVP here.
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Tradeport East wastewater plant meeting draws more than 200 in Riceboro
Over 200 Riceboro residents attended a meeting to discuss the Liberty County Development Authority’s proposed Laurel View wastewater treatment plant, which would use a membrane bioreactor to send treated water to the nearby North Newport River.
EPA regional chief tours Brunswick Superfund sites
EPA Region 4 Administrator Kevin McOmber visited three of Brunswick and Glynn County’s four Superfund sites to assess the progress of the hazardous waste cleanup and to discuss the potential for redevelopment of the sites.
McIntosh commission proposes revised Sapelo zoning ordinance
The McIntosh County Commission has advanced a proposed zoning ordinance that would limit house size on Sapelo Island to 1,550 square feet under roof with an additional 400-square-foot porch, and will go to the McIntosh County Zoning Board for a public hearing and recommendation on August 4, 2026.
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