Bryan County Commissioners during their August meeting approved using three well drilling companies on an on-call basis in a measure likened to a sheriff's office having a rotation of tow truck companies on standby for when they are needed.
The action, also taken by Bulloch County, is part of the two counties' EPD mandated Groundwater Sustainability Program, which will assess claims "of existing impacts to existing Floridan aquifer private residential drinking wells, small community systems," and agricultural wells within 5 miles of the Hyundai wells, according to officials.
The on-call well drillers are Beasley Well Drilling of Statesboro, Mobley Well Drilling of Vidalia and Sean Well Drilling of Avera. They were hired in July after a request for proposals from Bulloch County.
The three companies are to provide "expedited mitigation services" for qualified wells near the four high-volume wells in Bulloch County near the county line, two of which are owned by Bryan County.
It won't be cheap. A fee schedule included with the contracts shows an hourly rate of $95 per hour, with a flat service call of $290. The flat rate to install a new four inch well up to 650 feet deep is either $16,900 or $17,900, depending on the size of the tank.
Funding for the service is coming from the $1 million Bryan-Bulloch Joint Mitigation Fund, also required by the EPD as part of its permitting process for the Hyundai wells, which are permitted to pump 6.625 millions of groundwater a day for a year.
The EPD said that amount of water withdrawal could drop water levels in the aquifer by 19 feet at the site of the wells, and by as much as 10 feet further away but within the five mile radius.
Big ticket item
Commissioners during their August meeting approved awarding a $6.8 million contract to Garden City-based BRW Construction Group, the low bidder, to run a parallel force main along Belfast Keller Road.
The biggest costs listed in the contract are $1.82 million for horizontal drilling 5,980 feet and $2.4 million for 18,279 linear feet of 16 inch force main PVC pipe.
Elections and firing range
Commissioners also approved an agreement with Richmond Hill to hire the County Elections Board to conduct the city's upcoming municipal elections. Richmond Hill will pay for the cost of holding the election.
Commissioners awarded a $595,324 contract to Sikes Brothers Construction for phase one of a 50-foot outdoor firing range with covered pavilion for the Bryan County Sheriff's Office.