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Request for Proposal Red Zone Water Management Plan
Issue Date: August 16, 2016 Due Date: September 16, 2016 @ 5:00 pm Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) Steve Fox, Senior Natural Resources Planner 110 East State Street Savannah, GA 31401 Phone: 912-651-1463 Email: [email protected]
2 Chatham County – Savannah MPC Red Zone Water Management Plan RFP 8/16/16
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL RED ZONE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN
INVITATION The Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) has developed this invitation and Request for Proposal (RFP) for consulting firms to work with the MPC staff in the development of a Red Zone Water Management Plan. The MPC has been awarded a Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Cycle 19 Coastal Incentive Grant (CIG) through the Coastal Resources Division (CRD) to develop this plan. The MPC’s CIG application outlined the proposed scope of work as well as the specific deliverables that will be included in the project.
In order for the MPC to provide the best information to those interested firms, any questions pertaining to this RFP should be submitted in writing to Steve Fox at [email protected] so that the MPC may formulate a written response.
The MPC will accept sealed Statements of Proposal (SOPs) from interested firms at the Chatham County - Savannah MPC, 110 East State Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401 until 5:00 PM on September 16, 2016. The consultant acknowledges that the expenses incurred to prepare a submittal in response to this RFP will not be reimbursed by the MPC. A total of thirteen (13) hard copies and one (1) electronic version of the proposal must be delivered to the attention of: Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) Steve Fox, Senior Natural Resources Planner 110 East State Street Savannah, GA 31401 Phone: 912-651-1463 Email: [email protected]
3 Chatham County – Savannah MPC Red Zone Water Management Plan RFP 8/16/16
PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING The Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) is seeking proposals from consulting firms to develop a “Chatham County Red Zone Water Management Plan”. The full Request for Proposal (RFP) can be found on the MPC’s website at: http://www.thempc.org/ A pre-proposal conference will be conducted at 9:00 a.m., August 19, 2016 in the Jerry Surrency Meeting Room at the MPC Offices at 110 East State Street, Savannah, Georgia, to discuss specifications and to resolve any questions and/or misunderstandings that may arise. To submit any questions on the proposal, the firm must be represented at the conference. The MPC will accept sealed proposals from participating firms at the MPC, 110 East State Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401 until 5:00 PM on September 16, 2016. The proposals should be mailed or hand delivered to the attention of Steve Fox. A total of thirteen (13) hard copies and one (1) electronic version of the proposal must be delivered. The Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission reserves the right to reject and all proposals and to waive any informalities. MPC is an equal opportunity employer, M/F/H and all proposalders are to be equal opportunity employers. Steve Fox Senior Natural Resources Planner Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission
BACKGROUND The Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) received a one-year Coastal Incentive Grant to support revisions and updates to the Chatham County Comprehensive Water Management Plan (2006) to address water sustainability issues within the “Red Zone” of the coastal region of Georgia. As the coastal region of the State continues to see unprecedented growth, the region also recognizes the need for the conservation, protection and sustainability of its natural resources. To sustain the Floridan Aquifer as a primary source of drinking water for the coast, it is understood that groundwater withdrawals must decrease within the “Red Zone” (i.e. users in Chatham and South Effingham Counties), while also ensuring there is continued access to water supplies to support future economic growth in the affected areas. Georgia’s Coastal Regional Water Plan reports that the projected population growth in the Red Zone will result in a water “gap” of approximately 4 MGD by 2050. However, due to salt water intrusion in the Floridan Aquifer, water withdrawal permittees within this same region are now required to further reduce their groundwater withdrawal by 25% by 2025.
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The jurisdictions listed below are partnering in this effort to update Chatham County’s Water Management Plan and expand it to include the entire geographic area designated by EPD as the “Red Zone” as it relates to Water Permitting:
City of Bloomingdale City of Garden City City of Pooler City of Port Wentworth Town of Thunderbolt
City of Tybee Island City of Rincon City of Savannah Unincorporated Chatham County Unincorporated Effingham County
Chatham County’s first Comprehensive Water Management Plan was completed in 1995 and was locally funded until 2006 by all of the jurisdictions within Chatham County. Since 2006 there has not been an update to the local water plan. The 2006 Water Plan is available on the MPC’s website at: http://www.mpcnaturalresources.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2005-Water-Supply-Mgmt.pdf. These water providers wish to create a plan with local management measures to promote intergovernmental coordination of water issues within the Red Zone from a regional perspective that is consistent with the State of Georgia’s Water Plan and the Coastal Regional Water Plan. A robust stakeholder process will be implemented to ensure the participation of all member local governments, private water withdrawal permit holders, as well as the general public. The final product would be a Comprehensive Red Zone Water Management Plan (the Plan) with strategies to address applicable best management practices (BMPs) of the Coastal Water Plan as well as the Governor’s Water Stewardship Act requirements, in addition to a 5-year Short Term Work Program (STWP) with specific tasks to be undertaken to achieve the goals and strategies. Furthermore, we anticipate that some of the new strategies developed as part of this planning process will address Land Use, Stormwater, Disaster Resiliency and Coastal Hazards as pre and post disaster planning for water is an essential tool for managing water regionally.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT The project will be managed internally by Steve Fox, the MPC’s Senior Water Resources Planner and he will serve as the point of contact for the project.
Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) Steve Fox, Senior Natural Resources Planner 110 East State Street Savannah, GA 31401 Phone: 912-651-1463 Email: [email protected]
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SCOPE OF WORK The selected consultant will demonstrate the requisite proposal and expertise in the development of the Red Zone Water Management Plan. Attachment A to the RFP contains a copy of the Cycle 19 Coastal Incentive Grant (CIG) Application (i.e. the CIG work plan). The CIG work plan outlines the scope of work and identifies the specific deliverables for the project. The CIG project is expected to begin on or about October 1, 2016 (pending execution of a contract between the MPC and the Coastal Resources Division (CRD)) and be completed by September 30, 2017 (unless an extension to the schedule is negotiated with CRD).
The aforementioned Cycle 19 CIG Work Plan (see Attachment A) outlines the scope of work that the MPC will undertake to develop the Red Zone Water Management Plan. The work plan is broken down into four (4) Tasks and the consultant should carefully review Attachment A for further details related to each Task. The MPC envisions a contract arrangement with the selected consultant that would generally be as follows:
Task 1: Coordination of Red Zone Water Plan Task Force This task includes formation of the Red Zone Water Task Force, which will be the stakeholder committee composed of representatives from Water permittees in the Red Zone, including the municipal water suppliers previously listed, private water utilities, Hunter Army Airfield, Gulfstream, commercial and industrial water users. All water withdrawal permittees in the Red Zone will be invited to participate in meetings and provide data and feedback on strategies and next steps. The MPC and their contracted consultant will plan and facilitate four (4) quarterly meetings as well as oversee email communication to this group to thoroughly discuss options, provide data and feedback on the development of strategies to further reduce groundwater withdrawals and enhance conservation efforts in this region. The Task Force will also be asked to review planning documents, and report back to their company/municipality/customers on the process and recommendations that result. Task 2: Data Gathering The MPC and their consultant will work with the Task Force to gather data related to water use in the Red Zone and potential strategies to reduce groundwater withdrawals and enhance conservation. The consultant will gather and write a technical memorandum with input from the Task Force summarizing the following data:
• Historic Groundwater withdrawal information for all Red Zone permittees; • Permit reduction requirements for red zone permittees; • Successful strategies used to achieve reductions in the Chatham County Water Plan (as well
as those strategies that were eliminated); • Innovative strategies from around the United States and the world to reduce water
withdrawals and more efficiently use water resources;
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• Innovative stormwater, land use and sea level rise impact strategies from around the United States and the world to more efficiently protect water resources;
• Potential alternative sources of water including surface water supplied from Savannah’s Industrial & Domestic Water Treatment Plant, the cretaceous well on Tybee Island, reuse water, captured stormwater, etc.;
• Opportunities/locations for interconnections between water systems to increase efficiencies or allow for use of alternative water supplies.
Task 3: Development of Red Zone Water Management Plan. The consultant will develop the Red Zone Water Plan in close coordination with the MPC and the Task Force members through the meeting process described in Task #1. Data and information gathered as part of Task #2 will be presented to the Task Force for their review and consideration. The consultant will provide the MPC and Task Force with a list of potential strategies as well as the anticipated groundwater withdrawal reduction that adoption of certain strategies could result in. The Task Force will then be asked to identify those strategies that are appropriate for the various permittees. The Consultant will work with the MPC and the Task Force to create a short and long term schedule for implementation to include the associated groundwater withdrawal reductions that are expected. A process to track plan implementation on a routine basis must also be developed along with a process to amend and update the strategies in the Red Zone Water Plan if groundwater withdrawal reductions are not occurring in accordance with the expected schedule. The draft plan will be distributed to the MPC and Task Force for their review and comment. The consultant will finalize the Plan based on input from the MPC and Task Force. Task 4: Presentation of the Red Zone Water Management Plan The MPC and their consultant will present the Plan to the Metropolitan Planning Commission Board as well as the municipal water suppliers’ City Councils and the Chatham County Commission. The governing bodies will be asked to adopt the plan by resolution thereby showing their commitment to implementation of the strategies and work program. This is consistent with the process utilized in the development of the Chatham County Water Plan in the past that proved effective. The consultant, as well as representatives from the MPC and the Task Force, will also present to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD) staff as well as the Coastal Regional Water Council for review and possible incorporation in the update to Georgia’s Coastal Regional Water Plan.
DELIVERABLES The project deliverables are described above and specifically detailed in Attachment A. The selected consultant will be expected to provide the required deliverables as described. Monthly Meetings: At a minimum, the consultant will attend a monthly meeting with the MPC to discuss completed activities, actions that are underway and future activities.
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Task Force Meetings: The consultant shall prepare applicable documents for distribution before all meetings to include sign-in sheets, agendas, and maps, as well as take meeting minutes to be provided to the entire Task Force.
Draft Documents: The consultant shall provide draft documents and plans at regular intervals for informal review and approval by MPC Staff, as appropriate.
Final Documents: The consultant shall prepare final deliverables for the MPC that are easy to read, with technical terms explained, illustrated or otherwise described. The final documents, and all draft deliverables, shall be provided in both printed and electronic format (PDF and MS Word formats). Any maps shall be delivered as ArcGIS geodatabases, as PDFs, and in hard copy version. Other associated graphics and plans shall be in digital format and included in the document in a reproducible format. Reference material shall be properly noted. The consultant shall provide thirteen (13) hard copies and (1) electronic copy of each deliverable as well as the MS Word and PDF versions.
CONSULTANT SUMBITTAL REQUIREMENTS Pre-Proposal Meeting The Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) is seeking proposals from consulting firms to develop a “Chatham County Red Zone Water Management Plan”. The full Request for Proposal (RFP) can be found on the MPC’s website at: http://www.thempc.org/ A pre-proposal conference will be conducted at 9:00 a.m., August 19, 2016 in the Jerry Surrency Meeting Room at the MPC Offices at 110 East State Street, Savannah, Georgia, to discuss specifications and to resolve any questions and/or misunderstandings that may arise. To submit any questions on the proposal, the firm must be represented at the conference. The MPC will accept sealed proposals from participating firms at the MPC, 110 East State Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401 until 5:00 PM on September 16, 2016. The proposals should be mailed or hand delivered to the attention of Steve Fox. A total of thirteen (13) hard copies and one (1) electronic version of the proposal must be delivered. The Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission reserves the right to reject and all proposals and to waive any informalities. MPC is an equal opportunity employer, M/F/H and all bidders are to be equal opportunity employers. Steve Fox Senior Natural Resources Planner Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission
8 Chatham County – Savannah MPC Red Zone Water Management Plan RFP 8/16/16
The MPC hereby requests the following information from the consultants to provide the referenced services. Statement of Proposal Please provide the MPC with the following information:
1. Proposal and Experience a. Provide the proposal and experience of the firm and its project team members. b. Provide the names and references for a minimum of three similar representative projects,
along with the key project team personnel that worked on each project. c. Provide a description of any specific Chatham County experience with water planning, in
general, and the Chatham County Water Plan, specifically. 2. Proposed Scope of Services and Project Approach
a. Describe your understanding of the project. b. Describe your proposed approach for the project. c. Describe your plan to develop the project deliverables. d. Prepare a project schedule using the CIG Application as a guide.
3. Personnel a. Provide the names and proposal of the key project team personnel that would be
directly performing the work in the form of resumes. b. Clearly describe their role in the project, and their expected availability, and the
expected number of hours. c. Provide an organizational chart showing the project team and their respective roles.
SOP Submittal Information The MPC will accept sealed SOPs from the participating firms at the MPC, 110 East State Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401 until 5:00 PM on September 16, 2016. The proposals should be delivered to the attention of Steve Fox. A total of thirteen (13) hard copies and one (1) electronic version of the proposal must be delivered. Submittal of a SOP package indicates acceptance of the conditions contained in this RFP. All submitted SOP proposals are subject to the Georgia Open Records Act. The MPC reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, to waive informalities, to negotiate changes in the scope of work or services to be provided and to otherwise waive any technicalities.
CONSULTANT FEE BUDGET A detailed scope of work, project approach and budget with fee proposal data should be detailed in the work plan and as described in the project outcomes above. The MPC expects the budget shall enable the requested services as identified herein to be completed.
ATTACHMENTS Please submit attachments B-E found in the Appendix with your response.
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CONTRACT Upon award, the MPC will draft the contract between the successful firm and the MPC.
SELECTION PROCESS & EVALUATION CRITERIA This RFP is considered a Professional Services procurement for the MPC. As such, the MPC will convene a committee composed of representatives from the MPC as well as 3 of the partnering jurisdictions to evaluate the SOPs based primarily on the firm’s expertise, the expertise and expense of the proposed staff assigned to the project and the proposed project approach. The proposals will be evaluated to select the consultant that ranks the highest according to the evaluation criteria and the opinions of the committee members conducting the reviews of the SOP proposals.
Ranking Criteria Points 1. Quality and completeness of the proposal 10 points 2. The firm’s Chatham County experience and expertise 25 points 3. Proposed staff expertise in Chatham County 30 points 4. Project understanding, proposed project approach, 35 points
proposed preparation of deliverables, and project schedule The MPC may conduct interviews of the highest ranked consultants however, the MPC may select a firm based solely on the review of the proposals. If interviews are conducted by the MPC, staff will contact the respective firms to arrange for the interview(s). If the MPC and the selected consultant cannot come to a contractual agreement, the MPC reserves the right to negotiate and select the next rated consultant.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION FOR RFP The MPC reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals, waive technicalities and informalities, change the scope of work, and amend said RFP as it desires. The MPC reserves the right to negotiate with any consultant and to select the consultant that best meets the MPC’s needs. Staff Contact: The MPC staff contact for this RFP procurement is as follows:
Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) Steve Fox, Senior Natural Resources Planner 110 East State Street Savannah, GA 31401 Phone: 912-651-1463 Email: [email protected] Other than Steve Fox, firms are not allowed to communicate with any MPC staff or MPC Board Members regarding this procurement from the date of issuance of this RFP until the selection is announced by the MPC. Any unauthorized contact may disqualify the vendor from further consideration.
10 Chatham County – Savannah MPC Red Zone Water Management Plan RFP 8/16/16
Review of RFP: Prospective consultants should carefully review the instructions, requirements, and specifications as put forth in this RFP and promptly notify the MPC Staff Contact identified above via e-mail of any ambiguity, inconsistency, unduly restrictive specifications, or error which they discover upon examination of this solicitation. Questions: Prospective consultants with questions or requiring clarification or interpretation of any section within this request for proposal must have attended the pre-proposal meeting conducted at 9:00 a.m., August 19, 2016 in the Jerry Surrency Meeting Room at the MPC Offices at 110 East State Street, Savannah, Georgia. After attending the pre-proposal meeting, the prospective consultant may address any questions via e-mail to Steve Fox, the MPC Staff Contact referenced above, on or before 5:00 PM on August 26, 2016. Consultants may also submit written inquires to the MPC staff contact. Each question must provide clear reference to the section, page, and item in question. Questions received after the deadline may not be considered. MPC Responses to Questions: The MPC will provide an official written answer to all questions received within the timeframe stipulated in this RFP by 5:00 PM on September 2, 2016. The MPC's response will be via formal written addendum. Any other form of interpretation, correction, or change to this proposal will not be binding upon the MPC. Any formal written addendum will be e-mailed to all firms who have received a copy of this RFP and have provided their email address to the MPC to receive correspondence. Firms must acknowledge all addenda with their submittal. Contract: The successful consultant will enter into a contract with the MPC. The MPC reserves the right to address non-material, minor, insubstantial requests for exceptions with the selected firm. Attachments: The RFP Proposal include the following documents in the Appendix to be incorporated into this RFP proposal:
Attachment A: MPC’s Cycle 19 CIG Application Attachment B: PROMISE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
Attachment C: Contractor Affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b)(1) Attachment D: Minority and Women Business Enterprise Program M/WBE Participation Report Attachment E: AFFIDAVIT REGARDING LOBBYING
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APPENDIX
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ATTACHMENT A
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Incentive Grant Program 2016-2017 Cycle 19 Application
Project Title: Red Zone Water Supply Management Plan
Applicant Information (Sub-grantee Organization)
Applicant (Institution): Chatham County - Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) Federal Employer ID#: 58-6005252 _________ _
Contact (award agreement signatory, receives contract notices) Name: Jackie Jackson Title: Director of Comprehensive & Natural Resources Planning Street Address: 110 East State Street City: Savannah State: GA Zip Code: 31401 Phone: (912) 651-1454 Email:_.,,.j=ac~k=s~on~i ..... @"'"'t=h~em=-pc~·~o-rg _______ _
Financial Contact (invoicing and payment) Name: Melony West Title: Finance Director Address: 110 East State Street City: Savannah State: GA Zip Code: 31401 Phone: (912) 651-1448 Email: ___ w_e_s_tm_@_t_h_em_pc_._o_rg_
·····································································••! Project Manager/Principal Investigator (if different from Contact above) Name: Title: __________ _ Address: ___________________________ _
City: State: Zip Code: ______ _ Phone: Email : _____________ _
..............................••••.•................................... ,
Federal Funds Requested Match Provided (MUST be I : I for each year)
Total Cost Per Year
Year One $ 65 000 $ 79 515
$ $144,515
Year Two (if multi-year project) $ ____ _ $ ___ _
$ ____ _
Primary Funding Theme (select one):
D Oceans and Wetlands l:!'.'.:I Disaster Resiliency and Coastal Hazards
0 Sustainable Communities D Public Access and Land Conservation
Typed Name of Authorizing Official: Thomas L. Thomson, P.E., AICP
Signature of Authorizing Official: Date: OJ- Z.I -lb Page 1of13
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The following sections (A- F) should be in Word format
A. Letter of Intent: Submitted via email on (date) October 30, 2015
Project Overview:
The Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) is
proposing to apply for a one-year Coastal Incentive Grant to support revisions and
updates to the Chatham County Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan to
address water supply sustainability issues within the “Red Zone” of the coastal region of
Georgia. The MPC proposes to partner with Chatham County, Effingham County and
their municipalities to ensure multi-jurisdictional participation and cooperation.
As the coastal region of the State continues to see unprecedented growth, the region also
recognizes the need for the conservation, protection and sustainability of its natural
resources. To sustain the Floridan Aquifer as the primary source of drinking water for the
coast, it is understood that groundwater withdrawals must decrease while also ensuring
there is continued access to water supplies to support sustainable economic growth in the
affected areas.
The jurisdictions listed below wish to participate in updating Chatham County’s Water
Management Plan as well as expand it to include the entire geographic area known as the
“Red Zone”:
City of Bloomingdale
City of Garden City
City of Pooler
City of Port Wentworth
City of Rincon
City of Savannah
Town of Thunderbolt
City of Tybee Island
Unincorporated Chatham County
Unincorporated Effingham County
Chatham County’s first Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan was completed
in 1995 and was locally funded until 2006 by all of the jurisdictions within Chatham
County. Since 2006 there has not been an update to the local water supply plan. (The
2006 Water Supply Plan is attached.) The previously noted municipal water providers
wish to create a plan with local management measures to promote intergovernmental
coordination of water issues within the Red Zone from a regional perspective that is
consistent with the Coastal Georgia Regional Water Plan adopted and overseen by the
Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD).
A robust stakeholder process will be implemented to ensure the participation of all
member local governments as well as the general public. The final product would be a
Comprehensive Red Zone Water Supply Management Plan (the Plan) with strategies to
address applicable best management practices (BMPs) of the Coastal Water Plan as well
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as the Governor’s Water Stewardship Act requirements and a 5-year Short Term Work
Program (STWP) with specific tasks to be undertaken to achieve the goals and strategies.
By engaging with agencies to include the Coastal Georgia Water Planning Council as
well as expanding the focus area to include southern Effingham County and Rincon
which also lie within the Red Zone, the jurisdictions will represent the local governments
within the “Red Zone” and develop a geographically specific plan for the coastal region
that could also be utilized by other local governments within coastal Georgia (i.e. the
Yellow Zone and communities to the south such as Brunswick which is also having water
issues) as well as the State of Georgia.
This proposed project meets both the Sustainable Communities and Disaster Resiliency
and Coastal Hazards established themes. The applicable Sustainable Communities theme
includes:
Strengthen local capacity to implement sustainable approaches
Implementation and evaluation of coastal management practices in support of
sustainable development
We fully anticipate that a number of the new strategies developed as part of this planning
process will address Disaster Resiliency and Coastal Hazards as pre and post disaster
planning for water supply is an essential tool for managing water supply regionally.
C. Project Description
1. Background and Justification
As the coastal region of the State continues to see unprecedented growth, the
regional stakeholders recognize the need for the conservation, protection and
sustainability of the area’s drinking water resources is paramount to a thriving
economy and quality of life. To sustain the Floridan Aquifer as a primary source of
drinking water for the coast, it is understood that groundwater withdrawals must
decrease within the “Red Zone” (i.e. users in Chatham and South Effingham
Counties), while also ensuring there is continued access to water supplies to support
future economic growth in the affected areas. These “Zones” were identified and
management measures put into place by GA EPD to stabilize the intrusion of salt
water into the Upper Floridan aquifer, which is a dominant water supply source
shared by coastal Georgia and neighboring areas of South Carolina and Florida. The
Coastal Georgia Regional Water Plan reports that the projected population growth
in the Red Zone (users in Chatham and South Effingham Counties) will result in a
water supply “gap” of approximately 4 MGD by 2050. However, due to salt water
intrusion in the Floridan Aquifer, water withdrawal permittees within this same
region are now required to further reduce their groundwater withdrawal 25% by
2025.
On June 22, 2015, the final meeting of the Floridan Aquifer Permit Holders
Leadership Group convened by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division
(EPD) was held in Savannah, Georgia. During this meeting, EPD representatives
presented and discussed strategies to begin implementing Floridan Aquifer
Groundwater Withdrawal permit reductions totaling 16 MGD by 2020 for the “Red
and Yellow Zones”. New Draft Water Withdrawal Permits were proposed on
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October 1, 2015 and issued at the end of 2015 to permit holders within the Red Zone
with these reduction milestones for 2020 and 2025 included.
In light of the new directives from EPD, the municipal water providers within
Chatham County and southern Effingham County, with the assistance of the
Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC), wish to
explore opportunities to coordinate water supply management and conservation
efforts in the future. The best way to accomplish this level of coordination is by
working together to update Chatham County’s outdated 2006 Water Management
Plan and address additional issues, and expand it to include the entire geographic
area known as the “Red Zone”.
Figure 1: Map of the “Red Zone” and “Yellow Zone”
Chatham County’s first Chatham County Comprehensive Water Supply
Management Plan (the Plan) was completed in 1995, updated in 2000, and was
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locally supported by all of the jurisdictions within Chatham County until the most
recent update in 2006. At the table were public and private water providers and
users to include golf courses, industrial, military and commercial entities. The Plan
included a list of 28 specific strategies related to water conservation, water supply
efficiency, and alternative water supply sources. The water withdrawal permittees
within the County committed to adopting these strategies to reduce groundwater
consumption by 10 MGD by 2005 per the requirements of the Coastal Georgia
Water and Wastewater Permitting Plan for Managing Salt Water Intrusion
(Reference). The planning process included annual updates with both short and long
term goals and benchmarking to document if the anticipated water withdrawal
reductions were being achieved.
Throughout the approximate 10-year duration of the planning horizon, 1995 – 2005,
groundwater withdrawals in Chatham County were reduced by 16.56 MGD, far
exceeding the requirements of the Interim Strategy. Per capita water usage was
reduced from 169 GPD to 135.54 GPD, a nearly 20% reduction in
domestic/commercial water usage. (MPC, 2006) The huge success achieved during
this timeframe is at least, in part, attributable to the coordinated effort of the water
withdrawal permittees to meet State-established groundwater withdrawal reduction
goals through participation in the Chatham County Water Supply Plan process. The
goal of this proposed EPD Seed Grant project is to utilize this same collaborative
process, with its proven successful track record, to achieve reductions in
groundwater withdrawals in the Red Zone.
It is anticipated that the same water withdrawal permittees that participated in
development of the Chatham County Comprehensive Water Supply Management
Plan would participate in this proposed update and geographic expansion of the Plan.
In addition, permit holders from southern Effingham County that reside within the
Red Zone will also participate in the proposed project. As such, the participating
parties would include private water utilities, Hunter Army Airfield, industrial water
users and the local jurisdictions in Chatham and Effingham Counties as listed below:
City of Bloomingdale
City of Garden City
City of Pooler
City of Port Wentworth
Town of Thunderbolt
City of Tybee Island
City of Rincon
City of Savannah
Unincorporated Chatham County
Unincorporated Effingham County
All groundwater withdrawal permittees in the Red Zone will be invited to participate
in the Task Force including, but in no way limited to:
Candler Hospital
Coastal Georgia Water Company
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Consolidated Utilities, Inc.
Hunter Army Airfield
EMD
GAF Materials Corporation
Georgia Power Company
Hercules, Inc.
International Paper
Memorial Health University Medical Center
New NGC, Inc.
NuStar Asphalt Refining, LLC
Savannah Acid Plant, LLC
Savannah Sugar Refinery
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
Skidaway Island Utilities
South Atlantic Utilities
Talahi Island Community Water System
Southern States Phosphate & Fertilizer
The Landings Club, Inc.
In addition to water withdrawal permit reductions, groundwater users within the Red
Zone must also contend with continued population growth and economic
development. The Coastal Regional Water Plan details “gaps” in local water
resources that could potentially impact the long-term economic viability of the
coastal area. The proposed project directly meets and fulfills the following goal
established in the Coastal Georgia Regional Water Plan by the Coastal Water
Council:
Management Practice No I-1 Cross Jurisdictional Groundwater Coordination Group
Issue to be Addressed Current and Future Groundwater use in the Red and Yellow
Permittee Category Groundwater withdrawal
Initial Implementation Steps Conduct discussion with a multi-County, city and key utilities in support of a regional groundwater coordination group
Short Term Action Create a regional groundwater group
Long Term Action Continue to participate in regional groundwater group
Responsible Party EPD, Water providers within and outside Red and Yellow Zones
As part of this proposed grant project, the regional group of water suppliers in the
Red Zone would address several other goals and strategies identified within the
Coastal Regional Water Plan (See the Attachments section for copies of the
applicable sections of the Coastal Georgia Water Supply Plan):
WC-2 Tier 3 and Tier 4 Measures for Municipal and Industrial Users in Red
and Yellow Zones: Conduct outreach/education/incentives to encourage
implementation of conservation measures.
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AAGS-1 Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration: Conduct discussions with
multi-county, city, and key utilities.
AAGS-2 Increase Surface Water Supplies: Coordinate with the city of
Savannah I&D Water Treatment Plant to develop/utilize additional surface
water supplies to meet multi-sector uses.
AAGS-6 Additional Aquifer Use: Determine feasibility of utilizing
alternative aquifers to the Upper Floridan in supplying groundwater
withdrawals. One of the potential alternative sources that will be considered
as part of this management practice is the Cretaceous Well currently being
constructed and tested on Tybee Island into the planning process.
AAGS-7 Reuse: (Review) reuse feasibility studies to determine potential
customers and treatment needs.
EDU-1 through EDU-4: Various Educational and Outreach Programs on
Conservation/Water Quality.
By engaging with the Coastal Georgia Regional Water Planning Council as well as
expanding the focus area to include southern Effingham County and Rincon, which
also lie within the Red Zone, the water withdrawal permittees within the “Red Zone”
will develop a regional plan for the Red Zone that could also be utilized by other
local governments within coastal Georgia (i.e. the Yellow Zone and communities to
the south such as Brunswick that are facing water issues) as well as the State of
Georgia. The Plan’s outcomes will be presented to the Coastal Georgia Regional
Water Planning Council for ultimate inclusion in the update to GA EPD’s Coastal
Regional Water Plan as vetted strategies and case studies.
2. Task Descriptions
Task 1: Coordination of Red Zone Water Supply Task Force Task Description: This task includes formation of the Red Zone Water Supply Task Force, which will be the stakeholder committee composed of representatives from Water Supply permittees in the Red Zone, including the municipal water suppliers listed below, private water utilities, Hunter Army Airfield, commercial and industrial water users.
City of Bloomingdale City of Garden City City of Pooler City of Port Wentworth Town of Thunderbolt City of Savannah City of Tybee Island City of Rincon Unincorporated Chatham County Unincorporated Effingham County
All water withdrawal permittees in the Red Zone will be invited to participate in meetings and provide data and feedback on strategies and next steps. The MPC and their contracted consultant will plan and facilitate four (4) quarterly meetings of this group to thoroughly discuss options, provide data and feedback on the development of strategies to further reduce groundwater withdrawals and enhance
Page 8 of 13
conservation efforts in this region. The Task Force will also be asked to review planning documents, and report back to their company/municipality/customers on the process and recommendations that result. Deliverables:
Invitation to Water Withdrawal Permittees
Meeting Agendas
Meeting Summaries
Summary of Task Force Comments
Anticipated date of completion: September 2017
Task 2: Data Gathering
Task Description: The MPC and their consultant will work with the Task Force to
gather data related to water use in the Red Zone and potential strategies to reduce
groundwater withdrawals and enhance conservation. The MPC, with the help of its
consultant and the Task Force will gather the following data:
Historic groundwater withdrawal information for all Red Zone permittees;
Permit reduction requirements for Red Zone permittees;
Successful strategies used to achieve reductions in the Chatham County
Water Supply Plan (as well as those strategies that were eliminated);
Innovative strategies from around the United States and the world to reduce
water withdrawals and more efficiently use water resources;
Potential alternative sources of water including surface water supplies from
Savannah’s Industrial & Domestic Water Treatment Plan, the cretaceous well
on Tybee Island, reuse water, captured stormwater, etc.;
Opportunities/locations for interconnections between water supply systems to
increase efficiencies and redundancies or allow for use of alternative water
supplies.
Deliverable:
Technical Memorandum summarizing the data gathered and analyzing the best
next steps
Anticipated date of completion: March 2017
Task 3: Development of Red Zone Water Supply Management Plan.
Task Description: The MPC and their consultant will develop the Red Zone Water
Supply Plan in close coordination with the Task Force members through the meeting
process described in Task #1. Data and information gathered as part of Task #2 will be
presented to the Task Force for their review and consideration. The MPC will provide the
Task Force with a list of potential strategies as well as the anticipated groundwater
withdrawal reduction that adoption of certain strategies could result in. The Task Force
will then identify those strategies that are appropriate for the various permittees. MPC
will work with the Task Force to: (1) identify appropriate strategies, (2) prioritize them,
and (3) identify the appropriate implementation schedule and (4) responsible parties.
Page 9 of 13
It is essential that a benchmarking process be included in the Red Zone Water Supply
Plan to allow the Task Force to track the progress of the plan’s implementation over time.
As permit reduction deadlines approach, the affected water withdrawal permittees must
know if they have adopted successful strategies and if they will meet the mandated permit
reduction targets in time to change course, if necessary. The MPC will work with the
Task Force to create a short and long term schedule for implementation to include the
associated groundwater withdrawal reductions that are expected. A process to track plan
implementation on a routine basis will also be developed along with a process to amend
and update the strategies in the Red Zone Water Supply Plan if groundwater withdrawal
reductions are not occurring in accordance with the expected schedule. For example, the
Chatham County Comprehensive Water Supply Plan had annual updates where overall
water withdrawal as well as per capita water usage were used to track progress.
The MPC and their consultant will develop a draft Red Zone Water Supply Management
Plan that includes findings of the data gathering, detail on the Task Force Meetings, the
prioritized strategies, implementation plan, and the benchmarking/tracking process. This
draft plan will be distributed to the Task Force for their review and comment. The MPC
will finalize the Plan based on input from the Task Force
Deliverables:
Meeting Materials from Task Force
Draft Red Zone Water Supply Management Plan
Final Red Zone Water Supply Management Plan
Anticipated date of completion: September 2017
Task 4: Presentation of the Red Zone Water Supply Management Plan
Task Description: The MPC and their consultant will present the Plan to the
Metropolitan Planning Commission Board as well as the municipal water suppliers’ City
Councils and the Chatham County Commission. The governing bodies will be asked to
adopt the plan by resolution thereby showing their commitment to implementation of the
strategies and work program. This is consistent with the process utilized in the
development of the Chatham County Water Supply Management Plan in the past that
proved effective.
A representative from the MPC or the Task Force will also present to Coastal Regional
Water Council for review and possible incorporation in the update to the Coastal
Regional Water Plan.
Deliverables:
Power point presentation on the Water Supply Plan
Resolutions from Municipal Water Suppliers
Agenda from the Coastal Water Council Meeting
Anticipated date of completion: September 2017
Page 10 of 13
3. Project Timeline and Milestones
Develop a timeline and milestones for each year of the project. The Georgia
Coastal Management Program will use this information to track project
progress.
Task Activity Project
Start Date
Projected
Completion
Date
Task 1: Coordination of Red Zone Water Supply Task Force
Quarterly Meetings October 2016 September 2017
Task 2: Data
Gathering
Technical Memo October 2016 March 2017
Task 3:
Development of
Red Zone Water
Supply
Management Plan.
Table of prioritized strategies
and implementation work
program
March 2017 May 2017
Summary of the Prioritized
Work Program,
Benchmarking, Tracking and
Update Process
May 2017 July 2017
Development of Red Zone
Water Supply Plan
July 2017 August 2017
Task 4:
Presentation of the
Red Zone Water
Supply
Management Plan
Presentation to MPC Board
and Municipal Water Utility
Boards/Councils
August 2017 September 2017
Presentation to Coastal Water
Supply Plan Council
September
2017
September 2017
Page 11 of 13
D. Project Management
Multiple agencies, local governments, and industries will be working together on the
proposed project.
Project Manager:
This project will be managed by Jackie Jackson, Director of Comprehensive and Natural
Resources Planning for the MPC. She will facilitate the project objectives, produce
reports, monitor finances, and keep other key partners involved and updated on the
project goals and outcomes. Ms. Jackson will be responsible for managing the project
consultant, facilitating and hosting Task Force Meetings and for producing the final Red
Zone Water Supply Management Plan.
Project Consultant:
The MPC will hire a consultant to assist with facilitation of the Task Force and
development of the Plan.
Project Partners:
The success of this project will rely upon the collaboration and participation of multiple
public and private agencies. Those public agencies invited to participate will include, but
not be limited to:
City of Bloomingdale City of Garden City City of Pooler City of Port Wentworth Town of Thunderbolt
City of Savannah City of Tybee Island City of Rincon Unincorporated Chatham County Unincorporated Effingham County
The private agencies invited to participate will include:
Candler Hospital
Coastal Georgia Water Company
Consolidated Utilities, Inc.
Hunter Army Airfield
EMD
GAF Materials Corporation
Georgia Power Company
Hercules, Inc.
International Paper
Memorial Health University
Medical Center
New NGC, Inc.
NuStar Asphalt Refining, LLC
Savannah Acid Plant, LLC
Savannah Sugar Refinery
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
Skidaway Island Utilities
South Atlantic Utilities
Talahi Island Community Water
System
Southern States Phosphate &
Fertilizer
The Landings Club, Inc.
Volunteer Participation:
The participating project partners will be volunteering in-kind staff time towards the
realization of the tasks within this proposal.
Page 2 Coastal Georgia “Red Zone” Water Management Plan Request for Assistance
September 25, 2015 Mr. Judd Turner, Director Georgia Environmental Protection Division 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SE Suite 1456 East, Floyd Tower Atlanta, GA 30334-9000 Dear Mr. Turner; RE: Request for Assistance in Development of a Coastal Georgia “Red Zone” Water Management Plan As the coastal region of the State continues to see unprecedented growth, the region also recognizes the need for the conservation, protection and sustainability of its natural resources. To sustain the Floridan Aquifer as the p r i m a r y source of drinking water for the coast, it is understood that groundwater withdrawals must decrease while also ensuring there is continued access to water supplies to support future economic growth in the affected areas. On June 22, 2015, a meeting of the Floridan Aquifer Permit Holders Leadership Group convened by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) was held in Savannah, Georgia. During this meeting, EPD presented and discussed strategies to begin implementing Floridan Aquifer Groundwater Withdrawal permit reductions totaling 16 MGD for “Red and Yellow Zones”. In light of the new directives from EPD, the municipal water providers within Chatham County and southern Effingham County, with the assistance of the Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC), have discussed multiple opportunities to coordinate our water supply and conservation efforts in the future. The jurisdictions listed below wish to work together on updating Chatham County’s Water Management Plan as well as expand it to include the entire geographic area known as the “Red Zone”.
Page 2 Coastal Georgia "Red Zone" Water Management Plan Request for Assistance
As such, the participating jurisdictions would include:
• City of Bloomingdale • City of Garden City • City of Pooler • City of Port Wentworth • Town of Thunderbolt • City of Tybee Island • City of Rincon • Unincorporated Chatham County • Unincorporated Effingham County
Please note that we have engaged the City of Savannah in our preliminary discussions and they have offered to assist us with our water supply needs going forward , but they are not certain of what exact role they will play within this group at this time.
Chatham County' s first Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan was completed in 1995 and was locally funded until 2006 by all of the jurisdictions within Chatham County. Since 2006 there has not been an update to the local water supply plan. A lot has changed since 2006, especially noting the most recent permit reduction requirements, which we believe warrants a major update of the Chatham County Water Supply Management Plan. The previously noted municipal water providers wish to create a plan with local management measures to promote intergovernmental coordination of water issues within the Red Zone from a regional perspective.
By engaging with agencies to include the Coastal Georgia Water Planning Council as well as expanding the focus area to include southern Effingham County and Rincon which also lie within the Red Zone, the jurisdictions will represent the local governments within the "Red Zone" and develop a geographically specific plan for the coastal region that could also be utilized by other local governments within coastal Georgia (i.e. the Yellow Zone and communities to the south) as well as the State of Georgia.
This critical need for the coast and the "Red Zone" is unique to the State of Georgia. Chatham and Effingham County's municipal water providers have estimated the cost to be $75,000 for the undertaking. These local governments are formally requesting financial assistance from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to assist the coastal region in funding all or a portion of this effort.
Noting that the draft permits with lower groundwater withdrawal limits will be issued to the water providers within the next few months, the jurisdictions are requesting a timely response to allow for preparation.
On behalf of the jurisdictions listed below, should you have any further specific questions or need additional information please contact me at (912) 651-1446 or Ms. Jackie Jackson at (912) 651-1454
~~zf Thomas L. Thomson, P.E. , AICP Executive Director
cc: Jeff Larson, Georgia EPD Bill Frechette, Georgia EPD
Page 4 Coastal Georgia "Red Zone" Water Management Plan Request for Assistance
Ron Feldner, P.E. City Manager Garden City, GA
Robbie Byrd, City of Pooler, GA
~on~strator City of Port Wentworth, GA
~an ager City of Rincon, GA
Caroline Nguyen, Town Adm~st+<UO:D
Town of Thunderbolt, GA
Diane Schleicher, City Manager City of Tybee Island, GA
Toss Allen, P.E. , County Administrator Effingham County, GA
O:\NaturalResources-7007\20 I 3\ Water Resources\ Water Supply Plan\20 l 3-20 l 4 water plan update process with EPD\EPD _Chatham Municipal Water Providers_ Request for Assistance_ 09 l 6 l 5.docx
CHATHAM COUNTY – SAVANNAH
METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION OF THE CHATHAM COUNTY – SAVANNAH METROPOLITAN
PLANNING COMMISSION TO APPLY FOR A COASTAL INCENTIVE GRANT WITH
THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
COASTAL RESOURCES DIVISION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A RED ZONE WATER
SUPPLY MANAGEMENT PLAN.
WHEREAS, the Chatham County - Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) works
with local governments and community partners to preserve and protect natural resources in
Coastal Georgia, and
WHEREAS, the MPC is requesting funding from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Coastal Resources Division Coastal Incentive Grant Program for development of a Red Zone
Water Supply Management Plan that will benefit each of the local jurisdictions within the State’s
Coastal “Red Zone”, and
WHEREAS, while actively contributing to natural resource conservation, this project will also
coordinate water supply planning from a regional perspective within the Red Zone as outlined in
the recommended best practices of the Coastal Water Supply Plan, and
WHEREAS, this project will also bring together municipal, private and industrial water supply
permit holders in the Red Zone to identify more efficient and sustainable ways to utilize coastal
Georgia’s precious water supply resources, and
WHEREAS, the proposed project will collectively develop a specific and measurable plan that
will allow Red Zone Water Withdrawal Permit holders to meet the recently mandated permit
reduction limits for 2020 and 2050, and
WHEREAS, the mission of the Coastal Incentive Grant as a part of the Georgia Coastal
Management Program is consistent with the MPC’s goals and desire to create a Red Zone Water
Supply Management Plan.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan
Planning Commission,
Does hereby authorize staff to apply for a Coastal Incentive Grant on behalf of the jurisdictions
within Chatham County through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources
Division. Upon award of the grant, the Planning Commission shall enter into a Project Agreement
between the Planning Commission and Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal
Resources Division.
Adopted, the ____ day of February, 2016
CHATHAM COUNTY – SAVANNAH
METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION
______________________________________
Tanya Milton, Chairman
7. Im
plem
entin
g W
ater
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tices
COASTALGEORGIA
7-2
Sep
tem
ber
2011
Tabl
e 7-
1:
Impl
emen
tatio
n Sc
hedu
le
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tice
No.
(S
ee T
able
6-
1)
Issu
es to
be
Add
ress
ed
and
Res
ourc
e(s)
A
ffect
ed
Perm
ittee
C
ateg
ory
of
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
(if a
pplic
able
)
For A
ll A
ctio
ns:
Initi
al
Impl
emen
tatio
n St
ep(s
) and
A
ssoc
iate
d D
ate(
s)
For S
hort
-term
Act
ions
(2
010-
2020
): Fo
r Lon
g-te
rm
Act
ions
(2
020-
2050
):
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
Furt
her A
ctio
n to
Com
plet
e Im
plem
enta
tion
and
Ass
ocia
ted
Dat
es
Wat
er C
onse
rvat
ion
(WC
)1 W
C-1
Ti
er 1
and
Ti
er 2
M
easu
res
for
Mun
icip
al a
nd
Indu
stria
l U
sers
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
grou
ndw
ater
an
d su
rface
w
ater
sup
ply
need
s
Surfa
ce w
ater
an
dgr
ound
wat
er
with
draw
al(M
unic
ipal
and
In
dust
rial)
Con
duct
out
reac
h/
educ
atio
n/in
cent
ives
to
enc
oura
ge
impl
emen
tatio
n of
co
nser
vatio
n m
easu
res
Impl
emen
t wat
er
cons
erva
tion
prac
tices
th
roug
h 01
/202
0
Verif
yco
nser
vatio
n sa
ving
s es
timat
es
EPD
, Geo
rgia
M
unic
ipal
As
soci
atio
n, G
eorg
ia
Asso
ciat
ion
of
Cou
nty
Com
mis
sion
ers,
and
W
ater
Pr
ovid
ers
in th
e C
oast
al R
egio
n W
C-2
Ti
er 3
and
Ti
er 4
M
easu
res
for
Mun
icip
al a
nd
Indu
stria
l U
sers
in R
ed
and
Yello
w
Zone
s
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
grou
ndw
ater
su
pply
ne
eds/
gaps
in
the
Red
and
Ye
llow
Zon
es
Gro
undw
ater
w
ithdr
awal
(M
unic
ipal
and
In
dust
rial)
WC
-3 th
roug
h
WC
-12
Tier
3 a
nd
Tier
4
Mea
sure
s fo
r Ag
ricul
tura
lU
sers
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
agric
ultu
ral
grou
ndw
ater
an
d su
rface
w
ater
sup
ply
gaps
/nee
ds
Surfa
ce w
ater
an
dgr
ound
wat
er
with
draw
al(A
gric
ultu
ral)
EPD
, GSW
CC
, G
eorg
ia D
epar
tmen
t of
Agr
icul
ture
, and
Ag
ricul
tura
l wat
er
user
s in
the
Coa
stal
R
egio
n
Sep
tem
ber
2011
7-
3
COASTALGEORGIA
7. Im
plem
entin
g W
ater
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tices
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tice
No.
(S
ee T
able
6-
1)
Issu
es to
be
Add
ress
ed
and
Res
ourc
e(s)
A
ffect
ed
Perm
ittee
C
ateg
ory
of
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
(if a
pplic
able
)
For A
ll A
ctio
ns:
Initi
al
Impl
emen
tatio
n St
ep(s
) and
A
ssoc
iate
d D
ate(
s)
For S
hort
-term
A
ctio
ns
(201
0-20
20):
For L
ong-
term
A
ctio
ns
(202
0-20
50):
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
Furt
her A
ctio
n to
Com
plet
e Im
plem
enta
tion
and
Ass
ocia
ted
Dat
es
Add
ition
al/A
ltern
ate
to P
rese
nt G
roun
dwat
er S
ourc
e(s)
in G
ap A
reas
(AA
GS)
2
AAG
S-1
Cro
ss-
Juris
dict
iona
l C
olla
bora
tion
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
grou
ndw
ater
us
e in
the
Red
an
d Ye
llow
Zo
nes
Gro
undw
ater
w
ithdr
awal
(Mun
icip
al)
Con
duct
dis
cuss
ions
w
ith m
ulti-
coun
ty,
city
, and
key
util
ities
(0
1/20
11-0
6/20
11)
Trac
k an
d in
corp
orat
e m
ajor
find
ings
from
the
Bi-s
tate
sta
keho
lder
gr
oup
on s
alt w
ater
in
trusi
on (b
y 01
/201
2)
N/A
Wat
er
Prov
ider
s ou
tsid
e R
ed a
nd Y
ello
w
Zone
sin
pro
xim
ity to
de
man
d lo
catio
ns2
AAG
S-2
Incr
ease
Su
rface
Wat
er
Supp
lies
Surfa
ce w
ater
w
ithdr
awal
Publ
ic W
ater
Sy
stem
Coo
rdin
ate
with
City
of
Sav
anna
h In
dust
rial a
nd
Dom
estic
Wat
er
Plan
t to
utiliz
e ex
cess
fini
shed
w
ater
as
need
ed
Con
stru
ct d
istri
butio
n in
frast
ruct
ure
from
City
of
Sav
anna
h In
dust
rial
and
Dom
estic
Wat
er
Trea
tmen
t Pla
nt to
de
man
d lo
catio
ns (b
y 01
/202
0)
Wat
er
Prov
ider
s w
ithin
Red
an
d Ye
llow
Zon
es,
City
of S
avan
nah
AAG
S-3
Addi
tiona
lR
eser
voir
Stor
age
N/A
Con
duct
rese
rvoi
r re
conn
aiss
ance
and
fe
asib
ility
eval
uatio
n (b
y 01
/202
0)
If fe
asib
le, c
onst
ruct
re
serv
oir,
treat
men
t pl
ant,
and
dist
ribut
ion
syst
em
to d
eman
d lo
catio
ns
(by
01/2
030)
Wat
er
Prov
ider
s w
ithin
and
ou
tsid
e R
ed a
nd
Yello
w Z
ones
AAG
S-4
Stud
y Aq
uife
r St
orag
e an
d R
ecov
ery
in
Addr
essi
ng
Gap
s
N/A
Eval
uate
effe
ctiv
enes
s an
d fe
asib
ility
of a
quife
r st
orag
e an
d re
cove
ry/a
quife
r re
char
ge (b
y 01
/201
5)
N/A
EPD
, Geo
rgia
Le
gisl
atur
e if
eval
uatio
n sh
ows
effe
ctiv
enes
s,
feas
ibilit
y, a
nd n
eed.
7. Im
plem
entin
g W
ater
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tices
COASTALGEORGIA
7-4
Sep
tem
ber
2011
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tice
No.
(S
ee T
able
6-
1)
Issu
es to
be
Add
ress
ed
and
Res
ourc
e(s)
A
ffect
ed
Perm
ittee
C
ateg
ory
of
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
(if a
pplic
able
)
For A
ll A
ctio
ns:
Initi
al
Impl
emen
tatio
n St
ep(s
) and
A
ssoc
iate
d D
ate(
s)
For S
hort
-term
A
ctio
ns
(201
0-20
20):
For L
ong-
term
A
ctio
ns
(202
0-20
50):
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
Furt
her A
ctio
n to
Com
plet
e Im
plem
enta
tion
and
Ass
ocia
ted
Dat
es
AAG
S-5
Surfa
ceW
ater
St
orag
e in
Aq
uife
rs
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
grou
ndw
ater
us
e in
the
Red
an
d Ye
llow
Zo
nes
Und
ergr
ound
In
ject
ion
Publ
ic W
ater
Sy
stem
Pend
ing
favo
rabl
e re
sults
from
AAG
S-4,
per
form
des
ktop
ev
alua
tion
to id
entif
y an
d sc
reen
pot
entia
l AS
R w
ell s
ites
(by
01/2
015)
Dril
l exp
lora
tory
ASR
w
ells
to c
onfir
m
feas
ibilit
y at
eac
h si
te
(by
01/2
020)
Con
stru
ct A
SR
wel
lfiel
ds a
nd
com
plet
e cy
cle
test
ing
to v
erify
aq
uife
r con
ditio
ns
and
yiel
d vo
lum
es
(by
1/20
30)
EPD
, Wat
er
Prov
ider
s w
ithin
Red
an
d Ye
llow
Zon
es
AAG
S-6
Addi
tiona
lAq
uife
r Use
Gro
undw
ater
w
ithdr
awal
(Mun
icip
al a
nd
Indu
stria
l)
Det
erm
ine
feas
ibilit
y of
util
izin
g al
tern
ativ
e aq
uife
rs to
the
Upp
er
Flor
idan
in s
uppl
ying
gr
ound
wat
er
with
draw
als
(by
01/2
015)
Inst
all p
rodu
ctio
n w
ells
in
aqu
ifers
oth
er th
an
the
Upp
er F
lorid
an
Aqui
fer a
nd m
eet
sust
aina
ble
with
draw
al
rate
s (b
y 01
/202
0)
Con
tinue
to
regu
larly
upd
ate
Gro
undw
ater
R
esou
rce
Asse
ssm
ent a
nd
sust
aina
ble
yiel
d cr
iteria
EPD
, Wat
er
Prov
ider
s w
ithin
and
ou
tsid
e R
ed a
nd
Yello
w Z
ones
AAG
S-7
Reu
se
Gen
eral
W
aste
wat
er
Con
duct
reus
e fe
asib
ility
stud
ies
to
dete
rmin
e po
tent
ial
cust
omer
s an
d tre
atm
ent n
eeds
(b
y 01
/201
2)
Con
stru
ct tr
eatm
ent
upgr
ades
/new
faci
litie
s an
d es
tabl
ish
cont
ract
ual a
gree
men
ts
with
reus
e cu
stom
er
base
(by
01/2
020)
Con
tinue
trea
tmen
t up
grad
es a
nd s
eek
new
cus
tom
ers
as
addi
tiona
l cap
acity
is
pro
vide
d (b
y 01
/205
0)
AAG
S-8
thro
ugh
AAG
S-10
Des
alin
atio
n,
Rev
erse
O
smos
is, a
nd
Inte
r-bas
in
trans
fers
Opt
ions
pen
ding
feas
ibilit
y of
oth
er o
ptio
ns
Sep
tem
ber
2011
7-
5
COASTALGEORGIA
7. Im
plem
entin
g W
ater
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tices
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tice
No.
(S
ee T
able
6-
1)
Issu
es to
be
Add
ress
ed
and
Res
ourc
e(s)
A
ffect
ed
Perm
ittee
C
ateg
ory
of
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
(if a
pplic
able
)
For A
ll A
ctio
ns:
Initi
al
Impl
emen
tatio
n St
ep(s
) and
A
ssoc
iate
d D
ate(
s)
For S
hort
-term
A
ctio
ns
(201
0-20
20):
For L
ong-
term
A
ctio
ns
(202
0-20
50):
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
Furt
her A
ctio
n to
Com
plet
e Im
plem
enta
tion
and
Ass
ocia
ted
Dat
es
Inst
itutio
nal (
I)2
I-1 Cro
ss-
Juris
dict
iona
l G
roun
dwat
er
Coo
rdin
atio
n G
roup
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
grou
ndw
ater
us
e in
the
Red
an
d Ye
llow
Zo
nes
Gro
undw
ater
W
ithdr
awal
C
ondu
ct d
iscu
ssio
ns
with
mul
ti-co
unty
, ci
ty, a
nd k
ey u
tiliti
es
in s
uppo
rt of
a
regi
onal
gr
ound
wat
er
coor
dina
tion
grou
p (b
y 01
/201
2)
Obt
ain
findi
ngs
from
Bi
-Sta
te s
alt w
ater
in
trusi
on s
take
hold
er
proc
ess
(by
01/2
012)
Cre
ate
a re
gion
al
grou
ndw
ater
co
ordi
natio
n gr
oup,
if
need
ed (b
y 01
/201
3)
Con
tinue
to
parti
cipa
te in
re
gion
al
grou
ndw
ater
co
ordi
natio
n gr
oup,
as
ava
ilabl
e (b
y 01
/205
0)
EPD
, Wat
er
Prov
ider
s w
ithin
and
ou
tsid
e R
ed a
nd
Yello
w Z
ones
Engi
neer
ed S
olut
ion(
s) to
Add
ress
Sal
t Wat
er In
trus
ion
(ES)
2 ES
-1En
gine
ered
So
lutio
n
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
grou
ndw
ater
us
e in
the
Red
an
d Ye
llow
Zo
nes
Und
ergr
ound
In
ject
ion
Opt
ion
pend
ing
outc
ome
of B
i-Sta
te s
alt w
ater
intru
sion
sta
keho
lder
pr
oces
s(e
.g.,
wel
lhea
d tre
atm
ent,
hydr
olog
ic b
arrie
r(s),
etc.
)
Geo
rgia
and
Sou
th
Car
olin
a
7. Im
plem
entin
g W
ater
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tices
COASTALGEORGIA
7-6
Sep
tem
ber
2011
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tice
No.
(S
ee T
able
6-
1)
Issu
es to
be
Add
ress
ed a
nd
Res
ourc
e(s)
A
ffect
ed
Perm
ittee
C
ateg
ory
of
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
(if a
pplic
able
)
For A
ll A
ctio
ns:
Initi
al
Impl
emen
tatio
n St
ep(s
) and
A
ssoc
iate
d D
ate(
s)
For S
hort
-term
Act
ions
(2
010-
2020
): Fo
r Lon
g-te
rm
Act
ions
(2
020-
2050
):
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
Furt
her A
ctio
n to
Com
plet
e Im
plem
enta
tion
and
Ass
ocia
ted
Dat
es
Dat
a C
olle
ctio
n/A
dditi
onal
Res
earc
h (D
CA
R)
DC
AR-1
th
roug
h D
CAR
-6
Agric
ultu
ral
Dat
aC
olle
ctio
n an
d Irr
igat
ion
Res
earc
h
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
sur
face
w
ater
use
in
gap
area
s
N/A
Dev
elop
sco
pe o
f w
ork
(1/2
012-
6/
2012
) and
key
pa
rtner
ing
agen
cies
(0
6/20
12-0
1/20
15)
Com
plet
e da
ta c
olle
ctio
n,
rese
arch
, and
eva
luat
ion
by 0
1/20
15
Inco
rpor
ate
data
/find
ings
in
nex
t Reg
iona
l Wat
er
Plan
revi
sion
N/A
EPD
, GSW
CC
, U
nive
rsity
of
Geo
rgia
, Geo
rgia
D
epar
tmen
t of
Agric
ultu
re (D
OA)
DC
AR-7
M
inim
ize
Gro
undw
ater
U
se Im
pact
s to
Sur
face
W
ater
DC
AR-8
An
alyz
eAd
dres
sing
Ex
trem
eC
ondi
tions
Dev
elop
sco
pe o
f w
ork
(06/
2011
- 12
/201
1)
EPD
Sep
tem
ber
2011
7-
7
COASTALGEORGIA
7. Im
plem
entin
g W
ater
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tices
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tice
No.
(S
ee T
able
6-
1)
Issu
es to
be
Add
ress
ed a
nd
Res
ourc
e(s)
A
ffect
ed
Perm
ittee
C
ateg
ory
of
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
(if a
pplic
able
)
For A
ll A
ctio
ns:
Initi
al
Impl
emen
tatio
n St
ep(s
) and
A
ssoc
iate
d D
ate(
s)
For S
hort
-term
Act
ions
(2
010-
2020
): Fo
r Lon
g-te
rm
Act
ions
(2
020-
2050
):
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
Furt
her A
ctio
n to
Com
plet
e Im
plem
enta
tion
and
Ass
ocia
ted
Dat
es
DC
AR-9
St
udy
Aqui
fer
Pote
ntia
l to
Addr
ess
Gap
s
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
sur
face
w
ater
use
in
gap
area
s
N/A
Dev
elop
sco
pe o
f w
ork
(06/
2011
- 12
/201
1) a
nd k
ey
partn
erin
g ag
enci
es
(01/
2012
-01/
2015
)
Com
plet
e da
ta c
olle
ctio
n,
rese
arch
, and
eva
luat
ion
by 0
1/20
15
Inco
rpor
ate
data
/find
ings
in
nex
t Reg
iona
l Wat
er
Plan
revi
sion
N/A
EPD
, GSW
CC
, U
nive
rsity
of
Geo
rgia
, Geo
rgia
D
OA
DC
AR-1
0 R
esto
ratio
n Im
pact
on
Low
Flo
w
Con
ditio
nsAn
alys
is
EPD
and
oth
er
rese
arch
ag
enci
es/e
ntiti
es;
USD
A an
d ot
her
agen
cies
for f
undi
ng
and
ince
ntiv
es
Add
ition
al a
nd A
ltern
ativ
es to
Exi
stin
g Su
rfac
e W
ater
Sup
ply
Sour
ces
(ASW
S)1
ASW
S-13
Con
side
r Low
Fl
owC
ondi
tions
in
Futu
reSu
rface
Wat
er
Perm
ittin
g
Futu
re s
urfa
ce
wat
er u
se in
gap
ar
eas
Surfa
ce w
ater
w
ithdr
awal
(Agr
icul
tura
l)
EPD
to d
evel
op
Dat
a N
eeds
and
G
uida
nce
for
Anal
ysis
Req
uire
men
ts
Appl
ican
ts to
su
bmit
anal
ysis
fro
m 2
010-
2015
GSW
CC
to c
olla
bora
te
with
EPD
, Geo
rgia
DO
A,
and
curre
nt/fu
ture
sur
face
w
ater
use
rs to
dev
elop
ap
plic
atio
n pr
oces
s an
d da
ta n
eeds
to s
tream
line
appl
icat
ion
and
revi
ew
proc
ess
(by
01/2
015)
Det
erm
ine
if ex
pedi
ted
or re
vise
d pe
rmitt
ing
proc
ess
is
war
rant
ed to
allo
w
for u
se o
f the
re
sour
ce a
nd
prot
ectio
n of
crit
ical
lo
w fl
ows
EPD
, GSW
CC
, G
eorg
ia D
OA,
and
Ag
ricul
tura
l sur
face
w
ater
use
rs in
the
Coa
stal
Reg
ion
for
impl
emen
tatio
n
ASW
S-23
Ince
ntiv
es fo
r D
ry-Y
ear
Rel
ease
s fro
m P
onds
7. Im
plem
entin
g W
ater
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tices
COASTALGEORGIA
7-8
Sep
tem
ber
2011
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tice
No.
(S
ee T
able
6-
1)
Issu
es to
be
Add
ress
ed a
nd
Res
ourc
e(s)
A
ffect
ed
Perm
ittee
C
ateg
ory
of
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
(if a
pplic
able
)
For A
ll A
ctio
ns:
Initi
al
Impl
emen
tatio
n St
ep(s
) and
A
ssoc
iate
d D
ate(
s)
For S
hort
-term
Act
ions
(2
010-
2020
): Fo
r Lon
g-te
rm
Act
ions
(2
020-
2050
):
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
Furt
her A
ctio
n to
Com
plet
e Im
plem
enta
tion
and
Ass
ocia
ted
Dat
es
ASW
S-33
Subs
titut
e Fu
ture
Surfa
ceW
ater
Use
w
ithG
roun
dwat
er
in D
ry Y
ears
Futu
re s
urfa
ce
wat
er u
se in
gap
ar
eas
Surfa
ce w
ater
w
ithdr
awal
(Agr
icul
tura
l)
EPD
to d
evel
op
Dat
a N
eeds
and
G
uida
nce
for
Anal
ysis
Req
uire
men
ts
Appl
ican
ts to
su
bmit
anal
ysis
fro
m 2
010-
2015
GSW
CC
to c
olla
bora
te
with
EPD
, Geo
rgia
DO
A,
and
curre
nt/fu
ture
sur
face
w
ater
use
rs to
dev
elop
ap
plic
atio
n pr
oces
s an
d da
ta n
eeds
to s
tream
line
appl
icat
ion
and
revi
ew
proc
ess
(by
01/2
015)
Det
erm
ine
if ex
pedi
ted
or re
vise
d pe
rmitt
ing
proc
ess
is
war
rant
ed to
allo
w
for u
se o
f the
re
sour
ce a
nd
prot
ectio
n of
crit
ical
lo
w fl
ows
EPD
, GSW
CC
, G
eorg
ia D
OA,
and
Ag
ricul
tura
l sur
face
w
ater
use
rs in
the
Coa
stal
Reg
ion
for
impl
emen
tatio
n
ASW
S-4
Subs
titut
e Ex
istin
gSu
rface
Wat
er U
se
with
Gro
undw
ater
in
Dry
Yea
rs
Cur
rent
sur
face
w
ater
use
in g
ap
area
s
Surfa
ce w
ater
/ G
roun
dwat
er
with
draw
al(A
gric
ultu
ral)
Dev
elop
stra
tegy
an
d w
ork
with
po
tent
ial
parti
cipa
nts/
im
pact
ed u
sers
to
incr
ease
sup
port
for a
nd
impl
emen
tatio
n of
st
rate
gy
Eval
uate
nee
d an
d fe
asib
ility
to c
onju
nctiv
ely
man
age
grou
ndw
ater
(o
utsi
de R
ed a
nd Y
ello
w
Zone
s) a
nd s
urfa
ce w
ater
to
add
ress
7Q
10 lo
w fl
ow
cond
ition
s (b
y 01
/201
5)
N/A
ASW
S-5
Opp
ortu
nitie
s an
dIn
cent
ives
for
Dry
-Yea
r R
elea
ses
from
Pon
ds
Surfa
ce w
ater
w
ithdr
awal
(Agr
icul
tura
l)
Exam
ine
oppo
rtuni
ties
to
mod
ify fa
rm a
nd o
ther
po
nd o
pera
tions
to o
btai
n re
leas
es in
to a
ddre
ss
gaps
(by
01/2
015)
Mod
ify fa
rm a
nd
othe
r pon
d op
erat
ions
to o
btai
n re
leas
es to
add
ress
ga
ps (b
y 01
/203
0)
Sep
tem
ber
2011
7-
9
COASTALGEORGIA
7. Im
plem
entin
g W
ater
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tices
Man
agem
ent
Prac
tice
No.
(S
ee T
able
6-
1)
Issu
es to
be
Add
ress
ed a
nd
Res
ourc
e(s)
A
ffect
ed
Perm
ittee
C
ateg
ory
of
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
(if a
pplic
able
)
For A
ll A
ctio
ns:
Initi
al
Impl
emen
tatio
n St
ep(s
) and
A
ssoc
iate
d D
ate(
s)
For S
hort
-term
Act
ions
(2
010-
2020
): Fo
r Lon
g-te
rm
Act
ions
(2
020-
2050
):
Res
pons
ible
Pa
rtie
s
Furt
her A
ctio
n to
Com
plet
e Im
plem
enta
tion
and
Ass
ocia
ted
Dat
es
ASW
S-6
Ecol
ogic
al
Res
tora
tion
Ince
ntiv
ePr
ogra
m
Cur
rent
and
fu
ture
sur
face
w
ater
use
in g
ap
area
s
Wet
land
R
esto
ratio
n
Enco
urag
e re
sear
ch to
de
term
ine
effe
ctiv
enes
s an
d fe
asib
ility
of
rest
orin
g w
etla
nds
Det
erm
ine
effe
ctiv
enes
s an
d fe
asib
ility
of re
stor
ing
wet
land
s (b
y 01
/201
5)
Res
tore
wet
land
ch
arac
teris
tics
(by
01/2
030)
EPD
ASW
S-7
Land
Man
agem
ent
Ince
ntiv
es
Stor
mw
ater
N
PDES
Dis
char
ge
Mon
itor l
and
use
chan
ges
and
furth
er d
elin
eate
aq
uife
r rec
harg
e ar
eas
Det
erm
ine
effe
ctiv
enes
s an
d fe
asib
ility
of
impl
emen
ting
prac
tice
(by
01/2
015)
If de
emed
effe
ctiv
e an
d fe
asib
le,
impl
emen
t pra
ctic
e ba
sed
on s
tatu
s of
ga
p cl
osur
e (b
y 01
/202
5)
EPD
, Mun
icip
aliti
es
and
Wat
er/W
aste
wat
er
Util
ities
in th
e C
oast
al R
egio
n
ASW
S-8
Ince
ntiv
es fo
r G
reat
er
Was
tew
ater
R
etur
n Fl
ows
Was
tew
ater
/ St
orm
wat
er
NPD
ESD
isch
arge
, Sa
nita
rySe
wer
Exte
nsio
n
N/A
Con
tinue
to m
onito
r la
nd u
se a
nd
hydr
olog
ic
rela
tions
hips
ASW
S-9
Mul
ti-R
egio
nR
eser
voir
Surfa
ce w
ater
w
ithdr
awal
Mon
itor g
ap
clos
ure
Base
d on
rate
of g
ap
clos
ure,
con
side
r re
serv
oir
reco
nnai
ssan
ce/fe
asib
ility
stud
y (b
y 01
/201
5)
Con
stru
ct jo
int
regi
onal
rese
rvoi
r an
d/or
mul
tiple
new
sm
alle
r res
ervo
irs
(and
/or u
tiliz
e ex
istin
g re
serv
oirs
) (b
y 01
/203
0)
EPD
, Wat
er
prov
ider
s in
the
Coa
stal
Reg
ion,
ot
her c
olla
bora
ting
regi
ons
CHATHAM COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE WATER SUPPLY MANAGEMENT PLAN
2005 Five-Year Progress Report
March 2006
Prepared by the
CHATHAM COUNTY – SAVANNAH METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION
CHATHA
MC
OU
NTY
-SA
VA
NNAH METROPOLITAN
PLAN
NIN
GC
OM
MISSION
GEORGIA 1955
CHATHAM COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE WATER SUPPLY MANAGEMENT PLAN
2005 Five-Year Progress Report
March 2006
Prepared by the
CHATHAM COUNTY – SAVANNAH METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE Executive Summary 5 Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan’s 28 Strategies 6 1.0 Introduction 11 2.0 Planning Process and Background 12 3.0 Existing Water Supply Management Systems 14 4.0 Populations Projections 28 5.0 Future Water Demands 30 6.0 Water Supply Sources 33 7.0 2000 Water Supply Management Strategy 42 8.0 Summary of EPD Interim Strategy 42 9.0 Progress of the Water Supply Management Strategies for Chatham County 45 10.0 Procedure for Allocating Banked Water 64 11.0 Conclusion 67 APPENDIX Attachment A – Water Service Area Maps 69 Attachment B – Water Supply Task Force Roster 77
4
Executive Summary As an update to the 2000 Chatham County Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan, this report inventories and describes the water supply sources, water supply systems, and the methods and facilities for wastewater treatment. The policies set forth in the original 1995 Plan were evaluated by the Chatham County Water Supply Task Force, revised and eleven strategies were added to update the 2000 Plan based on scientific studies, the incompletion of EPD’s Sound Science Initiative, and to broaden the scope of the Plan to include regional water supply planning, wastewater treatment, and source water protection concerns. Encouraging highlights of the Plan include the comparison of water use data from the 2000 Plan to the data compiled for this document. This report shows reductions in usage of Upper Floridan Aquifer in Chatham County, a reduction in the countywide domestic/commercial per capita usage rate, success of the Chatham County-Savannah Water Conservation Programs, increased surface water capacity, and existing source water protection programs. In the 1995 Water Supply Management Plan, data from 1993, showed a countywide per capita per day usage rate of 169 gallons per day per person for Domestic/ Commercial users. Since then, water conservation education programs have been in effect and the per capita usage rate was reduced to 141.6 gallons per day per person as recorded in the 2000 Plan update (1999 population of 239,716) and 135.54 for the 2005 Plan update (2004 population of 250,192). Overall, this represents a savings in domestic/commercial groundwater even given an increase in the total population of 9,000 people over the past 5 years. The State Interim Strategy required Chatham County to reduce 10 MGD of groundwater withdrawals from the Upper Floridan Aquifer by December 31, 2005. EPD previously credited 9.435 MGD towards this required reduction from reductions in Groundwater Use Permit allocations. These permit reductions do not necessarily represent actual reductions in groundwater usage. The actual reduction in industrial groundwater use for the 2000 – 2004 time period totaled 8.97 MGD and was calculated by comparing the reported usage as presented in the 2000 Plan with the current reported usage for 2004. When added to the 3.09 MGD saved during the 1993-1999 time period, there has been a total of 12.06 MGD in actual reductions of groundwater usage from the industrial sector alone since 1993. During the 1993-1999 time period, there was a decrease in 4.47 MGD used by domestic/commercial users. The total use savings for the 1999-2004 time period was 0.028 MGD. When added together, the total saved for the 1999-2004 period for the domestic/commercial sector is 4.5 MGD. As a whole, Chatham County has saved 16.56 MGD of groundwater over the past ten years (domestic/commercial and industry combined). The Savannah - Chatham County Water Conservation Program was envisioned in the 1995 Plan and, along with the City of Savannah’s Water Program, has been successful in decreasing the per capita per day usage rate since the programs implementation. Programs
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for water conservation and protection of groundwater in Chatham County include public education about water conservation and prevention of non-point pollution, wellhead protection, a low flow toilet replacement program that retrofits old homes and multi-family units, and public awareness activities such as Earth Day and Groundwater Festivals. The Water Conservation Program produces Water Wisdom videos monthly on different water conservation and protection measures. "Less Waters," the personified toilet developed by the Water Conservation Program performs at the Sand Gnats baseball games by running around the bases to send a message to fix leaking toilets. In addition to these activities, the City of Savannah’s Water Conservation Program organizes and promotes the Groundwater Guardian Team throughout Chatham County. In addition to other achievements of the 2000 Plan, the Water Supply Task Force emphasized several other issues during this update to include the importance of planning for Upper Floridan Aquifer and other water resource use on a regional level. With both groundwater and surface water, the concerns and issues involve multiple local jurisdictions and management of these regional resources requires regional coordination and cooperation. With each county having previously developed their own water supply management plans, it is hoped that the State will continue to encourage regional planning efforts and the local governments will work together for management of groundwater and surface water resources of the region. If all of the 28 strategies listed in this Plan are ultimately accomplished, the Floridan Aquifer per capita use rate can one day be reduced to 100 gallons per capita per day. Each strategy is associated with an anticipated per capita usage rate if they are implemented by the local governments and Domestic/Commercial water users in Chatham County. The Water Supply Management Strategies are as follows: Strategy 1) MPC, with input from the Water Supply Task Force, shall be the designated entity to track and evaluate the implementation of the plan and will report annually on the status of plan implementation. The Water Supply Management Plan Annual Report shall include a concise assessment of the status of each strategy and shall be provided to EPD, each municipality, and members of the Task Force and the Chatham Environmental Forum by February 28th of each year beginning in 2002. An annual Task Force Meeting shall be held each year by January 31 to review the findings of the Annual Report. Recommendations for a report card program shall be presented to the Task Force at the 2002 Annual Meeting. The Annual Report shall be available to the public upon request. Strategy 2) At five-year intervals an update of the Water Supply Management Plan shall be prepared. The first update shall be completed in 2000. Subsequent updates shall follow in 2005, 2010, 2015, etc. Each five-year update shall include an update of the data, a status report on the implementation strategies, evaluation of and modifications to the strategies, and additional requirements by EPD. MPC staff shall prepare the update with the assistance of the Task Force and the Environmental Forum. Each five-year update shall be presented to the Chatham County Commission and the other municipal governments for adoption and
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submitted to EPD for approval. This strategy will be implemented through an intergovernmental agreement between local governments and the MPC. Strategy 3) The local governments, in adopting this plan, concur with the strategies and shall implement them within their jurisdictions. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions adopting the Plan. Strategy 4) EPD, as stated in the interim strategy, should develop a regional long-term water supply plan. This regional plan should adopt elements from the 23 county plans. Through its water withdrawal and discharge permitting authority, EPD should implement the regional plan. This strategy will be implemented through EPD’s development of a regional plan and Final Strategy. Strategy 5) The Sound Science Initiative should address the availability and the effects of use of the Miocene Aquifer and the Lower Floridan Aquifer in Chatham County. Further strategies to use the Miocene Aquifer and the Lower Floridan Aquifer shall be determined when these studies are conclusive. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions containing policies related to use of the Miocene Aquifer and Lower Floridan Aquifer. Strategy 6) The surficial Aquifer may be utilized for landscape irrigation, wherever possible in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. Local ordinances will be revised to allow for use of the surficial aquifer for irrigation purposes by 2005. This strategy will be implemented through local ordinances modified to allow for use of the surficial aquifer. Strategy 7) Treated wastewater effluent shall be utilized for landscape irrigation according to EPD guidelines, wherever possible. All golf courses and local governments shall issue a report on the availability of utilizing treated wastewater for landscape irrigation by December 2001 and every three years thereafter. This strategy will be implemented through local ordinances adopted to require golf courses and local governments to issue reports. Strategy 8) All county and municipal parks and squares utilizing the Floridan Aquifer for irrigation shall utilize an alternative irrigation source such as treated wastewater effluent or water from the surficial aquifer. A report on the evaluation of the alternative sources and the utilization or unavailability of the alternative sources for each county and municipal park and square shall be prepared by the county and municipal staffs by January 2004. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions. Strategy 9) No new ground water (Floridan Aquifer) permits shall be issued for any golf courses in the County. All existing golf courses utilizing the Floridan Aquifer shall investigate alternative irrigation sources and submit a finding report to the local entity and EPD by the December 2001. Whenever a golf course finds another reliable irrigation source, then efforts to reduce Floridan usage shall begin. Golf courses utilizing the Floridan Aquifer are expected to employ aggressive conservation measures until an alternate irrigation source
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is located. For Golf Courses continuing to use the Floridan Aquifer at the time of the June 2001 report, another finding and progress report shall be prepared by those golf courses and submitted to the local entity and EPD every 3 years. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions, local government ordinances regulating golf courses, and enforcement by EPD. Strategy 10) The County and all municipal governments shall begin to utilize Xeriscape principles (water efficient landscaping) in maintaining the squares and park areas. Efficient irrigation methods and techniques such as moisture sensors shall be utilized by December 2002. All local government park and square irrigation systems shall be metered by December 2002 in order to measure the progress of this strategy. A report on the economic savings accrued by utilizing xeriscaping principals shall be prepared by MPC staff by October 2002. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions and language contained in the intergovernmental agreements between the local governments and MPC. Strategy 11) Public information encouraging the use of xeriscape principles shall be made available to all local government offices related to development of new or existing residential and commercial sites. Local governments shall develop incentives to encourage the use of xeriscape principles by October 2001. This strategy will be implemented through intergovernmental agreements between MPC and local governments and local ordinances that encourage or require the use of xeriscape. Strategy 12) Public information programs that encourage the use of xeriscape principles and other efforts to reduce water loss from residential irrigation shall continue to be developed and implemented. The MPC Water Conservation Program shall coordinate and document efforts under this strategy. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions and inclusion in intergovernmental agreements between MPC and local governments. Strategy 13) The public education and awareness program for water conservation at MPC shall continue to be implemented Countywide. All public and private water suppliers in Chatham County shall either participate by providing funds for the MPC Water Conservation Program or develop their own water conservation education and awareness program by July 2001. Funding for the MPC Water Conservation Program shall be based on the number of customers for each water supply system. This strategy will be implemented through intergovernmental agreements between MPC and local governments and local ordinances for private water suppliers Strategy 14) Rate increases which increase the charge per gallon of water as usage increases shall be considered and implemented in all water systems to result in and maintain a per capita reduction. A base or minimum gallon usage rate shall be established and rate increases shall focus on users above the minimum. Beginning in December 2002 and every year thereafter, each municipality and public water system shall report its monthly usage and rate structure to MPC to determine whether the reduction is being achieved. Adoption of a strategy to implement seasonal or other types of conservation rate structures shall be
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considered by the Task Force in 2005. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions. Any reporting requirements for private water suppliers would be implemented by local government ordinance. Strategy 15) Industries shall implement water conservation programs to reduce by five percent current groundwater usage for the years 2000-2005. Water usage means actual withdrawals of water, not merely amounts of water allowed through permits. This strategy will be implemented through local government ordinances. Strategy 16) Surface water treatment capacity at Savannah's I & D plant shall be expanded as necessary. All expansions would meet the Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. This strategy will be implemented through a City of Savannah resolution. A Source Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) for the Savannah I & D system will be developed to help protect the water supply watershed, to ensure quality drinking water that meets all state and federal regulations, and to assist in the promotion and implementation of a Source Water Protection Plan. The SWAP will be completed by May 6, 2003. Strategy 17) Industries shall reduce their ground water usage first through conservation efforts and then by exchanging ground water capacity for surface water or other sources found to be appropriate through the Sound Science Initiative. The "exchanged water" will remain in the aquifer. Industries shall issue reports every 3 years, beginning in December 2001, on the progress of water conservation efforts and the feasibility of exchanging groundwater capacity for surface water capacity. This strategy will be implemented through local government ordinances and a Chatham County resolution. Strategy 18) Water users should encourage EPD to revise its groundwater use permit review process. The disincentive for reductions in groundwater use because of permittee fears that permitted amounts will be reduced if not used, should be removed. Water users should encourage the State legislature and EPD to develop incentives that encourage large groundwater users to conserve water or switch to surface water to the extent that surface water resources are not damaged. This strategy will be implemented through local lobbying of the State legislature. Strategy 19) All local governments shall develop and implement Wellhead Protection Ordinances using the model passed by Chatham County. The ordinances shall require identification of water wells and all possible pollution sources, including septic tanks within wellhead protection zones. Inventories using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) shall be completed by February 2005. Local governments shall provide annual reports to the MPC on the progress of wellhead protection inventories. This strategy will be implemented through local government ordinances and resolutions. Strategy 20) Local governments with identified groundwater recharge areas in their jurisdictions shall develop local regulations protecting the groundwater recharge areas according to EPD’s Environmental Planning Criteria. Local governments shall implement
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the Groundwater Recharge Area requirements in their jurisdiction. This strategy will be implemented through local government ordinances. Strategy 21) Local governments shall encourage EPD to strictly enforce existing protections for significant groundwater recharge areas which are located outside of Chatham County but may influence the quality of groundwater in Chatham County. EPD should follow and enforce its rules to protect those areas where the Floridan Aquifer is most susceptible to contamination. EPD should also strictly enforce protections for surface water resources which are upstream from Chatham County including the Savannah River Watershed and Ogeechee River Watershed. Strategy 22) All local governments shall implement their NPDES Stormwater Permits and comply with the federal and state rules for stormwater management. This strategy will be implemented through implementation of programs already developed by all local governments in Chatham County except Vernonburg. Strategy 23) Accurate assessment of water usage by local governments depends upon compliance by all water systems with EPD reporting requirements under the Safe Drinking Water and Groundwater Use rules. The municipalities shall comply with the reporting requirements and EPD should enforce the requirements of all water users and suppliers. Strategy 24) EPD is encouraged to enforce metering requirements so that Chatham County can accurately access the usage rates and evaluate the implementation status of its Water Supply Management Plan. This strategy will be implemented through EPD’s enforcement of existing state rules. Strategy 25) All public water systems shall develop drought contingency plans for their municipal water supplies and implement those plans when necessary. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions and ordinances. Strategy 26) Chatham County shall utilize the remaining water allocated to the Chatham County water bank according to the criteria set forth in the Chatham County Water Supply Management Plan, Section 8.5. Should EPD increase the amounts available to the county water banks, the water use reductions achieved in Chatham County since 1995 and further reductions from 2000 to 2005 shall not be unfairly reallocated to other groundwater users in Chatham County or groundwater users in other counties. Strategy 27) The local governments of coastal Georgia shall work cooperatively among themselves and with the State to develop a long-term regional water supply management plan. This regional management plan should fairly allocate the costs associated with reducing groundwater usage and should address the need for incentives that may be needed at the state level in order to implement some of the strategies in the Chatham County plan. Strategies in the Chatham County plan concerning water reductions by industry, changes in the permit evaluation process, and allocation of water will be reevaluated in 2005 based on the regional long-term management plan developed by EPD.
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Strategy 28) MPC and local governments in Chatham County will assess risk to the quality of surface water supplies and will coordinate watershed protection program with upstream counties within the Savannah River and Ogeechee River Watersheds. Local governments in Chatham County shall work cooperatively with other counties and with the State to develop plans to protect these water supply watersheds. 1.0 Introduction The withdrawal of large amounts of water from the Upper Floridan Aquifer has resulted in the potential for saltwater intrusion in the Savannah and Hilton Head Island areas. The intrusion threatens the continued viability of the Upper Floridan Aquifer as the region’s water supply. To address the problem, Chatham County and the municipalities within the County developed the 1995 Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan (hereinafter, the 1995 Plan), and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) produced the Interim Strategy for Managing Salt Water Intrusion in the Upper Floridan Aquifer of Southeast Georgia (hereinafter, Interim Strategy) in 1997. Among other requirements, EPD also required each of the 24 coastal counties in Georgia to develop comprehensive local water supply plans to help address the salt water intrusion issues. The 1995 Plan and its update the 2000 Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan for Chatham County (hereinafter, the Plan), is an effort to preserve and protect the long-term viability of the Floridan Aquifer as a source of potable water for residential and industrial use. In addition to addressing management issues specific to protection of the Floridan Aquifer, the Plan describes the groundwater and surface water resources, inventories and describes the systems for water supply and wastewater treatment, and sets policies for managing these sources and systems throughout the County. Also according to a specific strategy within the Interim Strategy, EPD will develop a Coastal Region Water Supply Plan that will consider all of the local water supply plans and incorporate parts of those elements into the Coastal Supply Plan. This component from the Interim Strategy begins to address the need for water supply planning on a watershed level or regional level which includes all users of the Floridan Aquifer or all users of a surface water resource. The Chatham County Water Supply Task Force has emphasized the need for more regional coordination and planning throughout the development of this report. Local management plans are essential to the development of regional and state plans. In 1995, Chatham County was the only county in Georgia that developed, approved, and submitted a local water supply plan. This plan was instrumental during EPD’s development of Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Cooperative Water Supply Plan distributed in 1997. Chatham County and other aquifer users throughout the coastal zone of Georgia must continue to work with EPD's Water Resources Management Branch to protect the Floridan Aquifer and other water resources for the use of future generations. The 2005 Plan for Chatham County both updates the 2000 Plan and is designed to maintain compliance with the requirements for local comprehensive water supply planning that were
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established by the Interim Strategy. By adoption of this plan, each of the nine units of local government within Chatham County resolves to implement the strategies developed through the planning process. The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) was assigned primary responsibility for preparing the Plan. This responsibility included general coordination of the planning process, day-to-day staff services such as collection, analysis, and presentation of data, and preparation of the final report. To help accomplish these tasks, MPC previously formed the Chatham County Water Supply Task Force (hereinafter, Task Force) to obtain formal community input. 2.0 Planning Process and Background 2.1 Community Input Community input into the planning process was obtained at three levels as described below. At each level, there was opportunity for participation by all of the various interest groups. 2.1.1 Water Supply Task Force The Water Supply Task Force was structured to provide program guidance and to also provide technical assistance throughout the planning process. The Task Force members represented large water users including local governments and industries, as well as local environmental and civic groups. Membership on the Task Force was open and the Task Force provided program guidance by consensus. The roster (Attachment A) includes members of the Water Supply Task Force that assisted in preparing the 2005 Plan. It also includes other individuals who requested membership on the Task Force. 2.1.2 Chatham Environmental Forum In preparing the 1995 Plan, the Chatham Environmental Forum entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with MPC to serve as a citizen advisory group. The Chatham Environmental Forum is a citizen-based group with balanced representation from business, environmental and civic/governmental sectors. The 30-member Forum seeks consensus solutions to community-wide environmental issues. Members of the Environmental Forum are listed in Attachment B. During the 2005 Plan update, Chatham Environmental Forum members were again afforded the opportunity to participate and serve as advisors during the planning effort. The MPC staff provides staff services to the Forum on matters referred to it by the Planning Commission. The By-Laws of the Forum provide a procedure for reporting Forum conclusions and recommendations to the Planning Commission. This is the procedure followed in the report to the Planning Commission on the 2005 Plan.
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2.1.3 Public Participation The water supply planning program includes activities intended to inform the general public about the plan’s review and approval process and to solicit input from the general public. The Task Force and the Environmental Forum assisted in identifying specific, effective public participation activities. Some of the public outreach efforts concerning the Water Supply Plan were advertised in the Savannah Morning News, solicitation of public comments on the Plan through local government television channels, and outreach initiatives through the MPC Water Conservation Program. In addition to these public outreach efforts, the Plan will be presented at public hearings within each governmental jurisdiction at the time that it is considered for adoption by the elected bodies. 2.2 Planning Background One planning task that was necessary to comply with the State’s Minimum Requirements was compilation of required background material about the political, economic, and natural setting available from existing studies. This background material was used to evaluate and update the water supply as well as the wastewater treatment and disposal strategies from the 2000 Plan. In order to present current water use data and future water demands and to evaluate management alternatives (including water sources and conservation), the County was divided into water system areas. Maps 1 through 9 in Appendix A show the boundaries of the water systems. The water system areas include the following:
(a) The eight municipalities within Chatham County: Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Savannah, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island, and Vernonburg.
(b) The Hunter Army Airfield (HAAF) Main water system and those areas served by Consolidated Utilities. (c) Geographic areas at the community level that are served by separate
water systems: Wilmington Island, Whitemarsh Island, Skidaway Island, Georgetown vicinity, Gateway Savannah, the Travis Field vicinity, the Barrier Islands, Larchmont area, Old River Road area, Riverfront Industrial area, Southbridge, and the Wildlife Refuge area.
(d) One geographic area at the regional level that is primarily served by a single interconnected system: the Isle of Hope/Montgomery area in southeast Chatham County, extending to include Rio Vista and Burnside Island.
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3.0 Existing Water Supply Management Systems 3.1 Present System for Supply of Groundwater 3.1.1. Public Water Systems, Permits, Active Wells and Infrastructure The system in Chatham County for supplying water from groundwater sources includes industrial systems, municipal systems, community and non-community public water systems, and private wells. These systems all utilize the Upper Floridan Aquifer, while irrigation is a component part of the groundwater system that utilizes both the Upper Floridan Aquifer and the shallow Miocene and surficial aquifers. There are 25 municipal groundwater systems in Chatham County. This includes six City of Savannah systems, eleven Chatham County systems, one system for each of six other municipalities, and the Hunter Army Airfield and Skidaway Island Utilities Systems and Consolidated Utilities. Savannah, Pooler, Thunderbolt, and Tybee Island provide water service that is available to the majority of their citizens. There are still a number of large areas without municipal water service in Bloomingdale, Garden City, Port Wentworth and the Town on Vernonburg. In both the 1995 and 2000 water supply management plan it was noted that the Eastside and Westside of the unincorporated portions of Chatham County have large areas that were not currently served by a water system. Portions of West Chatham County and other scattered areas of unincorporated Chatham County continue to be served and developed using individual wells and on-site sewage treatment. However, the majority of the County is served by smaller community systems or larger municipal ones. Separate from the municipal systems, there are also 76 active private water systems in Chatham County which serve anywhere from 2 to 6,881 people. 3.1.2 Current Capacity for Groundwater Systems For systems that use over 100,000 gallons per day of groundwater and are required to obtain and comply with a groundwater use permit, their current withdrawal capacity is limited to the current limits noted in their permits. Groundwater use permit holders in Chatham County and their respective permitted usage limits are contained in Table 1.0 below. Groundwater systems that use less than 100,000 gallons per day are currently not limited by a permitted amount of withdrawal other than the need to remain below 100,000 gallons per day (gpd). Groundwater systems that require Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) permits because they serve over 25 people must routinely report their usage. Smaller groundwater systems that are not permitted, to include private/individual wells using less than 100,000 GPD, are not limited by usage amounts nor required to report usage. The actual number of un-permitted systems and individual wells within Chatham County is currently unknown.
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TABLE 1.0 Groundwater Use Permit Holders (as of 2004) With Permitted Limits and Average Reported Usage*
GWU Permit
Number Name of System
Permitted Annual Average
Usage (MGD)
Reported Annual Average Usage
(MGD) 025-0004 National Gypsum Company (NGC) 0.185 0.164 025-0005 Pooler 1.14 0.695 025-0006 Savannah Sugar Refining 1.08 0.842 025-0007 City of Garden City 0.900 0.695 025-0008 Kerr-McGee (formerly Kemira) 4.40 1.731
025-0009 International Paper (formerly Union Camp) 23.90 16.822
025-0010 Landings Club – Golf Well #1(not consistently used after 2002) 0.225 0
025-0011 Southern Sates Phosphate and Fertilizer 1.512 1.068 025-0012 Citgo Asphalt Refining Co. 0.10 0.010
025-0013 Building Materials Manufacturing (GAF Corp) 0.370 0.353
025-0015 SEPCO - Riverside 2.0 0.013 025-0018 Savannah-Main 31.12 25.377 025-0019 GA Pacific Corp. 0.10 0.026 025-0021 Port Wentworth 0.59 0.309 025-0022 Thunderbolt 0.350 0.142 025-0023 Memorial Medical Center 0.258 0.169 025-0024 SEPCO – Plant Kraft 1.728 1.638 025-0025 Hercules 1.50 1.148 025-0027 Tybee Island 0.96 0.887 025-0028 Skidaway Island Utilities 2.61 1.692 025-0030 EMD Industries, Inc. 0.50 0.449 025-0034 USA-Hunter AAF Main 1.030 0.977 025-0035 Bloomingdale 1.156 0.136
025-0040 Chatham County - Glen of Robin Hood & Montgomery 0.594 0.531
025-0041 Consolidated Utilities 0.475 0.308 025-0044 Landings Club – Golf Well #2 0.200 0.016 025-0045 Chatham County (west)- Hunters Ridge 0.10 0.065 025-0046 Candler General Hospital 0.10 0.010 025-0048 Chatham County - Port Authority 0.116 0.196
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TABLE 1.0 Groundwater Use Permit Holders (as of 2004) With Permitted Limits and Average Reported Usage*
GWU Permit
Number Name of System
Permitted Annual Average
Usage (MGD)
Reported Annual Average Usage
(MGD) Industrial Park
025-0052 Chatham Cty – Henderson Golf Course 0.100 0.040 025-0054 Skidaway Institute of Technology 0.120 0.025 025-0056 South Atlantic Utilities 0.194 0 025-0057 Consolidated Utilities 1.0 0.005 025-0058 The Landings Club – North Well Field 0.375 0.131 025-0059 The Landings Club- South Well Field 0.375 0.078 025-0060 Consolidated Utilities 0.525 0.117
TOTAL 81.988 56.865 *Table 1.0 reflects those users that are permitted for 100,000 gpd or more. Table Source: Usage reported to the Savannah Coastal EPD office. 3.2. Current Groundwater Usage 3.2.1. Determining Current Usage All public water systems are required to obtain a Safe Drinking Water Permit from EPD as well as comply with all of its associated requirements to maintain compliance. These permits require that the systems report their daily and monthly usage on Daily Operating Reports (DORs). However, many systems do not report usage and this regulation is not regularly enforced by EPD. Water systems that withdraw over 100,000 GPD of groundwater are also required to hold and comply with Groundwater Usage Permits from EPD. These permits also require that water usage be reported. Since many community systems that are not required to obtain groundwater use permits make up a significant portion of the water supply systems in Chatham County, Safe Drinking Water Act permits and the associated Daily Operating Reports (DORs) for those systems were reviewed as well any available Groundwater Use Reports submitted under the groundwater use permit program. The best available data was compiled and used during the development of this Plan. There are 134 groundwater use permits held in Chatham County including 14 held by municipal systems, 17 held by industries, 7 held for irrigation purposes, and 13 held for agricultural purposes. Annual average groundwater usage for 2000 - 2005 is reported in the tables below. Reported are water usage data in gallons per day, population served by the system and the average
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number of gallons used by each person per day. Table 2.0 shows the average groundwater usage for domestic/commercial, industrial, agricultural, and irrigation uses. For the purposes of this plan golf courses are categorized as an irrigation use.
TABLE 2.0 2004 Annual Average Groundwater Usage
System Usage Data (MGD)
Domestic/Commercial Municipal 31.77 Private System 0.892 Individual Well 1.25 Industrial 24.65 Agricultural 0.0175 Irrigation/ Golf Course Usage
0.172
TOTAL (MGD) 58.75 Table Source: Usage reported to the Savannah Coastal EPD office. Table 3.0 shows the per capita per day usage rates for each type of domestic/commercial groundwater system.
TABLE 3.0 Floridan Aquifer Per Capita Per Day Usage Rate for Domestic/Commercial Systems
Type of System
Number of Systems
Population Served
Estimated Reported
Usage (MGD)
Per Capita
Per Day Usage
Reported (gpd)
Municipal 11 227,825 31.77 139.45 Private Systems 122 10,883 0.892 82.0 Individual Wells 4813 11,484 1.148 100.00*
TOTAL 4946 250,192 33.912 135.54 * See section 3.2.4 for estimated usage calculations. Table Source: Usage reported to the Savannah Coastal EPD office and extrapolations from MPC TAZ data. 3.2.2. Reported or Estimated Actual Usage for Private Water Systems Table 4.0 lists the private water systems that had completed reports at EPD with usage data reported by the water system operator. These usage data were used to determine the per capita daily usage rate for each system.
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TABLE 4.0 Private Systems With Reported Usage
SDWA Permit
Number System
Reported or
Estimated Population
Served
Usage Gal/mo
Estimated Per
Capita Water Usage (gpd)
GA0510011 Golden Isles Subdivision 525 1,470,000 93GA0510014 Azalea Mobile Home Plaza 385 857,666 74GA0510015 Water’s Bluff Mobile Home Park 98 489,900 167GA0510024 Estill Hammock/Spanish 317 874,510 92GA0510031 Holiday Mobile Park 88 139,100 53GA0510036 Ogeechee Farms 962 1,490,549 52GA0510042 Plantation Inn Mobile Estates 216 555,000 86GA0510052 Talahi Island Community 1027 384,800 12GA0510055 Vicks Mobile Home Park 247 330,333 45GA0510080 Melody Acres Park 195 444,054 76GA0510085 Oliver Pines 26 139,140 178GA0510096 Runaway Point 814 2,129,000 87GA0510099 Montgomery Area 1185 4,115,000 116GA0510103 Parkway Mobile Estates 86 239,000 93GA0510110 Foss Mobile Home Park 203 526,333 86GA0510111 Live Oak Mobile Home Park 55 137,000 83GA0510112 Shady Acres Mobile Home Park 138 86,000 21GA0510113 Grove Point Mobile Estates 206 451,000 73GA0510123 Derrick Subdivision- fmrly Sunbelt 143 392,625 92GA0510126 Miller Pines Mobile Home Park 109 332,940 102GA0510129 Burroughs Community 798 3,483,500 146GA0510144 Riverview Mobile Inn 172 628,880 122GA0510207 Sandman Motel 25 16,900 23GA0510275 Dean Forest Rd. TP-North 39 16,549 14TOTAL(24) 8059 19.73 82 Table Source: Usage reported to the Savannah Coastal EPD office. For a number of permit holders the only available information was the population served by their system or the number of permitted connections. For these systems, the population served was multiplied by the same known average per capita per day for reported users in Table 4.0, 82 gallons per day, to develop a gallon-per-day (gpd) rate. This information can be seen in Table 5.0.
TABLE 5.0 Private Systems With No Reported Usage SDWA Permit
Number Name of System
Reported or Estimated Population
Served
Estimated Per Capita
Water Usage (gpd)*
Estimated Water Usage (gpd)
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TABLE 5.0 Private Systems With No Reported Usage SDWA Permit
Number Name of System
Reported or Estimated Population
Served
Estimated Per Capita
Water Usage (gpd)*
Estimated Water Usage (gpd)
510008 Sav'h Christian School 1150 82 94300 510021 Cottonvale Estates 260 82 21320 510022 Dyches Mobile Estates 210 82 17220 510025 Atlantic WS-Ft. Arglye Est. 120 82 9840 510040 Atlantic WS-Pine Barren Acres 156 82 12792 510047 Skidaway Mobile Estates 480 82 39360 510049 Southside Mobile Estates 200 82 16400 510054 The Bluff Subdivision 55 82 4510 510062 Ft. Pulaski Natl Mon Fort 900 82 73800 510073 USA-HAAF 702 28 82 2296
510075 Skidaway Inst of Oceanog. - North End 108 82 8856
510085 Atlantic WS-Oliver Pines 26 82 2132 510087 Old Fort Jackson Museum 100 82 8200 510088 Skidaway Is State Park 550 82 45100 510091 Commodore Point 265 82 21730 510095 Oatland Island Education Ctr. 120 82 9840 510103 Parkway Mobile Estates 86 82 7052 510131 Marty's Fried Chicken 48 82 3936 510137 Barnwell Gardens MHP 99 82 8118 510141 Whitfield Mobile Estates 90 82 7380 510143 Savannah Motor Lodge 34 82 2788 510157 Atlantic WS-Riverside Est. 78 82 6396 510168 Thunderbird Motel 35 82 2870 510189 Sasser's Seafood, Inc. 30 82 2460 510206 The Traveler's Inn 66 82 5412 510215 Love's Fishing Camp 229 82 18778 510216 Sav'h Yacht Club 175 82 14350 510221 Coastal Eq. - Budget Inn 100 82 8200 510222 Coastal Eq. - Restaurant 104 82 8200
510223 Rogers MH Court –Crosby Mobile Estates 65
82 5330
510224 Ft. Pulaski Natl Mon Vis Ctr 912 82 74784 510225 Ft. Pulaski Natl. Mont. Picnic 262 82 21484 510241 Dean Forest Chevron 55 82 4510 510251 T. E. Shurling Real Estate, Inc. 250 82 20500 510265 Sav'h Bend Marina 25 82 2050 510271 Providence Christian Academy 300 82 24600 TOTAL(37) 7824 82 641,568 Table Source: Usage reported to the Savannah Coastal EPD office as well as to the MPC Water Resources staff.
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TABLE 6.0 Municipal Groundwater Usage*
GWU Permit
Number
SDWA Permit
Number Name of System
Reported Annual
Average-2004
(MGD)
Permitted Annual Average (MGD)
Population Served
Reported Per
Capita Per Day Water Usage
(gpd)** 025-0005 510001 Pooler 0.695 0.90 10,217 68.02 025-0007 510000 Garden City 1.317 1.50 7,753 170.0 025-0018 510003 Savannah-Main 21.44 31.12 169,610 126.41*** 025-0021 510002 Port Wentworth 0.309 0.59 2,480 94.32 025-0022 510006 Thunderbolt 0.142 0.35 2,624 54.12 025-0027 510005 Tybee Island 0.887 0.96 4,093 216.7 025-0028 510033 Skidaway Island Utilities 1.692 2.61 7,731 218.86 025-0034 510107 USA-Hunter AAF Main 0.977 1.03 5,160 189.34+ 025-0035 510016 Bloomingdale 0.136 0.156 1,714 79.35
025-0040 510109 Chatham County -Glen of Robin Hood 0.531 0.594
8,535 (Combined with Hunter’s Ridge) 69.83
025-0041 510024 Consolidated Utilities1 0.308 0.475
7,908 (Combined with Consolidated Utilities2 & 3) 54.38
025-0045 510133 Chatham Cty -Hunters Ridge 0.065 0.10
(Combined with Glen of Robin Hood) 69.83
025-0057 -
Consolidated Utilities2 0.005 1.00
Combined with Consolidated Utilities1 54.38
025-0060 -
Consolidated Utilities3 0.117 0.525
Combined with Consolidated Utilities1 54.38
TOTAL 32.56 41.92 227,825 NA * Municipal usage includes domestic and commercial usage. ** Systems that have a higher percentage of commercial usage will be shown here to have a higher per capita use rate than systems with a lower percentage of commercial connections. ***City of Savannah’s usage includes domestic, commercial and some light industrial usage which may elevate the cpd.
* The estimated per capita usage value of 82 gpd was derived from the value for those private
+ HAAF’s per capita per day water usage includes irrigation for the golf course as well as heavy commercial operations for the military operations on-site.
systems that reported usage to the GA EPD as seen in Table 4.0. Table Source: Permit numbers were gathered from those reported to the Savannah Coastal EPD office.
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3.2.3. Reported Usage for Groundwater Use Permit Holders (Municipal and Industrial) Identified below are the EPD permitted municipal and industrial groundwater users with groundwater use permits. In this list, the annual permitted withdrawal MGD is compared to actual pumpage reported. Table 6.0 reports the usage data for the municipal water systems in Chatham County for 2004. Note that the City of Savannah provides water to areas outside its corporate boundaries including several areas within unincorporated Chatham County, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Vernonburg and Effingham County. This table also notes whether or not each municipal system holds Groundwater Use Permits. Some Chatham County water systems do not hold Groundwater Use Permits. This table includes Hunter Army Airfield and Skidaway Island Utilities/The Landing Association systems because they are treated as municipal systems by EPD. The table below lists the Industrial groundwater users, their safe drinking water permits and groundwater use permits where applicable, their permitted usage, and their reported usage. The reported usage for 2004 is compared to the reported usage for 1999, as well as the initial reported usages from 1992.
TABLE 7.0 Current Industrial Groundwater Usage
GWU Permit
Number
SDWA Permit
Number Name of System
Reported Usage 1992
(MGD)
Reported Usage 1999
(MGD)
Annual Reported Average
2004 (MGD)
Annual Average
Permitted Usage
(MGD)
025-0003 NA Hunt Wesson 2.51 NA NA 3.2
025-0004 510070 National Gypsum Company 0.19 0.18 0.164 1.85
025-0006 NA Sav'h Sugar Refining 1.00 1.08 0.842 1.08
025-0008 NA Kerr-McGee (formerly Kemira) 4.28 4.70 1.731 4.40
025-0009 NA International Paper (formerly Union Camp) 23.80 19.90 16.822 23.90
025-0010 510190 GA Pacific Corp Saw Mill NA 0.04 NA NA
025-0011 NA Southern Sates Phosphate 0.85 1.51 1.068 1.512
025-0012 NA Citgo Asphalt Refining Co. 0.10 0.10 0.010 0.10
025-0013 510067 GAF Corp 0.30 0.33 0.278 0.37
025-0014 NA SEPCO - Operations 0.22 NA NA 0.22
025-0015 NA SEPCO - Riverside NA 2.60 0.013 2.0
025-0017 NA Certainteed Product Corp. NA 0.50 NA 0.50
025-0019 510068 GA Pacific Corp. 0.01 0.10 0.026 0.10
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TABLE 7.0 Current Industrial Groundwater Usage
GWU Permit
Number
SDWA Permit
Number Name of System
Reported Usage 1992
(MGD)
Reported Usage 1999
(MGD)
Annual Reported Average
2004 (MGD)
Annual Average
Permitted Usage
(MGD)
025-0023 510083 Memorial Medical Center 0.24 0.18 0.169 0.258
025-0024 NA SEPCO - Plant Kraft 0.51 0.0 1.638 1.728
025-0025 510063 Hercules 2.40 1.07 1.148 1.50
025-0030 510238 EMD Industries, Inc. 0.30 0.35 0.449 0.50
025-0046 510130 Candler General Hospital NA 0.01 0.10 0.10
025-0048 510239 Chatham County-Sav’h Port Auth Industrial Park NA NA 0.196 0.116
NA 510258 Atlantic Wood Industries NA 0.01 NA NA
NA 510236 GA Visitor Center-SRA112 NA 0.45 NA NA
NA 510171 Roger Wood Packing Co. NA 0.09 NA NA
NA NA Southern LNG, Inc. NA 0.42 NA NA
TOTAL 36.71 33.62 24.65 43.43 ACTUAL SAVINGS TO THE FLORIDAN AQUIFER FROM REDUCTIONS IN INDUSTRIAL USAGE FROM 1992 – 1999 WAS 3.09 MGD AND ACTUAL SAVINGS FROM 2000-2004 WAS 8.97 MGD.
Table Source: Usage reported to the Savannah Coastal EPD office as well as to the MPC Water Resources staff.
3.2.4. Estimated Usage by Individual Wells Individual wells that provide drinking water from the Upper Floridan Aquifer comprise another component of the groundwater supply system within Chatham County. Table 8.0 reports that there are approximately 11,484 citizens within Chatham County served by individual wells. This number was determined by subtracting the population served by EPD permitted public community systems, 238,708, from the 2004 estimated population of 250,192 for Chatham County and comparing that to location patterns and state and local permitting information that apply to wells of this type.
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TABLE 8.0 Individual Well Use Within Chatham County
Total County Population
(Calendar Year 2004)
Population Served by
Municipal and Private Systems
Population Served by Individual Wells for Domestic Purposes
Average Per Capita Per Day Usage
(gpd)
Water Use from Individual
Wells (MGD)
250,192 238,708 11,484 100 1.148 Table Source: Usage estimated by MPC staff through current TAZ data. The Chatham County Inspections Department has information on the installation of private wells within unincorporated Chatham County; however that information is not easily accessible in the form of a list or usage data. If the Chatham County Inspections Department or the Chatham County Environmental Health Department has the resources available to provide such information before 2009, this information would be useful during the 2010 update of the Water Supply Management Plan. 3.2.5. Agricultural Usage The EPD Minimum Requirements include agriculture as a use category. In Chatham County there are currently 13 Agricultural Use Permits held by 6 users for agriculture purposes. These are listed in Table 9.0 below. Although agricultural users are required to obtain a permit for use over 100,000 gallons per day, they are currently not required to report their usage to EPD. This is a problem across Georgia but less of a problem in Chatham County because of the small amount of agriculture areas in the County. Agricultural use in Chatham County was assumed to remain at historical levels through the year 2030 for projecting water demand.
TABLE 9.0 Agricultural Permits for Groundwater Usage
GWU Permit Number Name of Permittee Usage Estimates
Based on Historical Data
A03-025-0016 Ottawa Farms 0.0025 gpd A89-025-0001 Ping E. Tyner 0.0025 gpd A89-025-0002 Ping E. Tyner duplicate A89-025-0003 Ping E. Tyner duplicate A89-025-0004 Ping E. Tyner duplicate A89-025-0005 Center/UGA Bamboo Farms 0.0025 gpd A89-025-0006 William J. Hunter 0.0025 gpd A89-025-0007 William J. Hunter duplicate
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TABLE 9.0 Agricultural Permits for Groundwater Usage
A89-025-0008 William J. Hunter duplicate A89-025-0009 William J. Hunter duplicate A90-025-0010 Wendell Keith Graves 0.0025 gpd A90-025-0011 Elizabeth S. Johnson 0.0025 gpd A96-025-0015 Center/UGA Bamboo Farms 0.0025 gpd TOTAL 0.0175
Table Source: Usage reported to the Atlanta EPD office. 3.2.6. Irrigation Usage Previous local and regional water supply studies and plans, including the 2000 Water Supply Plan, have addressed irrigation as a water use category. For reference, this plan includes golf courses in the irrigation category. In addition to the sixteen golf courses in this category, nine other groundwater use permit holders are also included (see the table above). In many parts of Georgia, golf course groundwater withdrawals are considered by EPD to be agricultural water uses. This is not the norm in Chatham County where only Southbridge Golf Club holds an agricultural water use permit (Permit # A91-025-0013). However, other golf courses in Chatham County are permitted as commercial uses. Both the 1995 and the 2000 strategies within the Chatham County Plan address golf course water use, as does EPD’s Interim Strategy. A 1998 EPD study as well as 2004 data gathered by the MPC about Chatham County golf course groundwater use provided the information in Tables 10.0 and 11.0 for these areas. For those without estimates available from reported usage, a national standard rate of 17,000 gallons per day per hole was used to calculate usage. This means that an 18-hole golf course is estimated to use .306 MGD. Of all the golf courses in Chatham County, there are three that utilize the Floridan Aquifer for irrigation purposes, seven utilize the surficial aquifer (some as backup only), two utilize reuse water, and seven use surface water or stormwater retention. Table 10.0 shows golf course irrigation users pulling from the Floridan Aquifer using 2004 data.
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TABLE 10.0 Golf Courses Using the Floridan Aquifer for Irrigation
Groundwater Use Permit #
Name of System
Water Source
Depth of Well Meter
Best Usage Data
Usage (MGD)
Permitted Usage
(MGD)
Number of Holes
Usage Per
Hole (gals)
025-0034 Hunter AAF Upper Floridan
550 FT. -600 FT.
Metered at Well
.019 estimated
No individual permit for course alone
18 1056
N/A Lavida Floridan Unknown Not Metered .153 N/A 9
17,000*
TOTAL 0.172 N/A 27 18,056 * Average standard rate for water usage in gallons per day per hole Table Source: Usage reported to the MPC Water Resources staff and discussions with the Golf Course Superintendents Association.
Table 11.0 shows the remaining golf courses in Chatham County that did not use the Floridan Aquifer for irrigation purposes in 2004.
TABLE 11.0 Golf Courses Not Using the Floridan Aquifer for Irrigation
GWU Permit
Number Name of System Water
Source
Best Data for
Reported Usage
(MGD)
Permitted Annual (MGD)
Number of Holes
Water Usage
per Hole (gals)
N/A Bacon Park Shallow Wells Unknown N/A 27 N/A
25-0052 Henderson Golf Course
Stormwater Ponds & Shallow Wells
0.040 0.10 18 2,222
025-0010 Marshwood/ Landings Golf Well #1
Stormwater Ponds (Shallow Well Backup)
0.0 (not consistently used after 2002)
0.225 18 12,500
025-0044 Plantation/ Landings Golf Well #2
Stormwater Ponds (Shallow Well Backup)
0.016 0.200 18 889
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TABLE 11.0 Golf Courses Not Using the Floridan Aquifer for Irrigation
GWU Permit
Number Name of System Water
Source
Best Data for
Reported Usage
(MGD)
Permitted Annual (MGD)
Number of Holes
Water Usage
per Hole (gals)
025-0058 Landings Club – North Field Well
Stormwater Ponds (Surficial Backup)
0.131 0.375 18 7,278
025-0059 Landings Club –South Field Well
Stormwater Ponds (Surficial Backup)
0.078 0.375 18 4,333
N/A Savannah Quarters Country Club (Pooler at I-16)
Stormwater detention ponds (going to reuse in 2006)
0.12 estimate N/A 18 6,695
N/A
Westin Club at Savannah Harbor/Hutchinson Island
Reuse Water N/A N/A 18 N/A
N/A Mary Caulder City of Savannah N/A N/A 9 N/A
N/A Oakridge/Landings Stormwater Ponds No Wells
N/A N/A 18 N/A
N/A Crosswinds/Savannah Airport
Stormwater Ponds (I & D Plant as back up)
N/A N/A 18 N/A
N/A Savannah Golf Club Reuse Water N/A N/A 18 N/A
N/A
Wilmington Island Golf Club
Miocene Into Lagoons N/A N/A 18 N/A
A91-025-0013
Southbridge Golf Club
Lagoons N/A N/A 18 N/A
TOTAL 0.385 1.275 252 31,917 Table Source: Usage reported to the Coastal EPD office and MPC Water Resources staff.
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3.2.7 Maps of Current Groundwater Supply Service Areas Each water service area may contain one or more domestic, industrial or agricultural users. All of the private systems listed in Tables 4.0 and 5.0 have been identified from information gathered from the 2000 Plan, the Chatham County Service Delivery Strategy, the Chatham County Wellhead Protection Study, GIS data layers from USGS, and information from some system owners. Maps of each of the water system areas area are found on Maps 1-7 in Appendix A. 3.3 Present System for Supply of Surface Water and Usage The City of Savannah Industrial and Domestic (I&D) surface water plant was constructed in 1947 to provide water service to industries along the Savannah River. The plant is located on Highway 21 near Port Wentworth, Georgia. The I&D Plant receives raw water from Abercorn Creek, a tributary of the Savannah River located in Effingham County, approximately nine miles from the plant. Four large pumps at Abercorn Creek withdraw the river water through large intake suction screens on the pump piping lying near the creek bottom. The water is pumped through two 48-inch diameter raw water lines to the plant where it is treated and distributed to various industrial, commercial, wholesale and residential customers. The plant utilizes a conventional treatment process consisting of chemical coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. An orthopolyphosphate is also added to the finished water for corrosion control. Although established as an industrial supply, the plant has always produced high quality, potable drinking water meeting and/or exceeding all state and federal drinking water standards. The I&D plant maintains a 48-inch diameter distribution system and three separate booster pumping stations. A booster station at the plant provides water to the Crossroads/Godley Road and airport service areas. The booster stations at Lathrop Avenue and President Street boost distribution pressure to Hutchinson Island as well as the ends of the distribution system. A $14,000,000 upgrade to the plant was completed in 1998. This project was initiated to meet customer demand as well as EPD’s Interim Groundwater Strategy requirement to reduce groundwater withdrawals in Chatham County by 10 MGD. Completion of the three-phase project increased the capacity of the I&D plant from 50 MGD to 62.5 MGD with available storage of 14.6 MGD. The plant, Abercorn Creek station and all booster stations are equipped with auxiliary power. Operations staff monitors the entire system utilizing a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. The SCADA system allows for monitoring 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, of pressure, flows, and water quality parameters as well as allowing staff to make adjustments to pump controls and chemical feed systems from the control room. The plant also has a skilled and experienced maintenance crew and shop as well as a state certified laboratory responsible for sampling and water quality monitoring for both the surface water and ground water systems.
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The City of Savannah’s initiative to upgrade and expand the plant has enabled it to not only continue providing water to Chatham County’s industries and largest employers, but has also ensured that a high-quality drinking water supply is available for continued growth and economic development. Chatham and Effingham Counties have seen an almost unprecedented growth in the development of Hutchinson Island as well as the areas of Crossroads, Godley North, and Georgetown/Gateway. In addition, intergovernmental agreements with the City of Pooler and City of Port Wentworth have allowed for needed water supplies to be available to the explosive growth areas in the Godley Station area, as well as several areas of Port Wentworth. An intergovernmental agreement has also been established with Effingham County. Under this agreement water is being supplied to Effingham’s newly initiated water system. Initiation of this new water system has boosted Effingham County to become the 60th fastest growing county in the nation. 3.4. System Interconnections There are a total of 12 emergency or backup water supply interconnections in Chatham County between municipal jurisdictions as well as between groundwater and surface water supply systems. The following table lists all of these interconnections:
TABLE 12.0. City of Savannah Emergency Interconnections
Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System & Garden City Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System & The Town of Thunderbolt Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System & Hunter Army Airfield (HAAF) Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System & Chatham County (Isle of Hope) Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System & Chatham County (Glen of Robin) Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System & Chatham County (Heron Crest) Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System & Chatham County (King George Blvd.) Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System & Chatham County (Runaway Point) I&D Surface Water System & Savannah Main Groundwater Supply System I&D Surface Water System & the City of Port Wentworth I&D Surface Water System & the City of Pooler I&D Surface Water System & Effingham County
Table Source: City of Savannah Water Distribution Department. 4.0 Population Projections
The following population projections are used to project future water demand and future wastewater demand. Population projections were prepared for the years 2010, 2020, and 2030. The projections include countywide totals and totals for the water service areas.
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4.1 Historic population trends Table 13.0 shows the county population totals for the years 1970-1995 in five year increments and January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2004 in one-year increments. For each year reported, the table includes changes in the number of residents from the previous reported year and the percent change or average annual growth rates.
TABLE 13.0 Historical Population Trends
Year Population Increase Percent Change
1970 187,816 ---- ---- 1975 194,301 6,485 3.5 1980 202,226 7,925 4.1 1985 212,063 9,837 4.9 1990 220,017 7,954 3.8 1995 231,243 11,226 5.1 1996 233,528 2,285 1.00 1997 236,535 3,007 1.30 1998 237,794 1,259 0.50 1999 239,716 1,922 0.80 2000 234,020 5,696 decrease 2.4 decrease 2001 236,639 2,619 1.1 2002 239,262 2,623 1.1 2003 244,000 4,738 1.98 2004 250,192 6,192 2.5
Table Source: MPC Comprehensive Planning Department. 4.2 Population Projections The CUTS population projections were extended to the year 2030 and year 2050. CUTS projections were readily available for small geographic units known as Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) and were allocated to the water supply planning sub-areas. It was necessary to prepare Traffic Analysis Zone allocations and planning sub-area allocations for year 2030 projections of CUTS population figures. The most current 2000 Census data is the base used to prepare the succeeding year’s population estimate. The number of new residential units and corresponding persons per occupied household is added to the base year to estimate the current year population. The vacant land that is zoned for residential development is used to develop future population estimates by planning areas. MPC staff determined which of the Traffic Analysis Zones have undeveloped residential zoning and could have new residential development.
29
The number of possible new residential units and the corresponding population were then calculated. The boundaries of the Water Planning Areas and the Traffic Analysis Zones were drawn in Arc Info and overlaid to determine the Traffic Analysis Zones that fell within each Water Planning Area. The Traffic Analysis Zones and the associated data were assigned to each planning area and the data were then totaled by Water Planning Area. Because some Traffic Analysis Zones fell within more than one Water Planning Area, or the computer did not recognize a shapefile, some of the geographic area assignments and calculations had to be completed manually. 5.0 Future Water Demands A 1983 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report entitled, Metropolitan Savannah Water Resources Management Study, projected future water demands for the Chatham County area. The Corps report projected water demands by several means, primarily by transforming population numbers to projections for the categories of industrial employment, commercial activity and residential inhabitants. The water demand projections in the 1995 Plan and in this update were developed by using population projections, employment, dwelling units, existing domestic water usage rates and proposed land use activities for all political jurisdictions in the county. The projections for each horizon year (2010, 2020, 2030, and 2050) include countywide totals and totals for planning sub-areas. Water demand projections for domestic/commercial purposes were made by multiplying the population and increases in population over the fifty-year planning period by a gallons per day per capita rate of 135.54. This rate was determined by averaging all countywide domestic/commercial water use rates. Historic water use data have been assembled and are presented in Table 14.0. The data for years that are available show the countywide total water use divided into the three water use categories. These categories are: (1) residential/commercial, (2) industrial, and, (3) irrigation. Among others, sources of historical water usage data and related information for Chatham County include Water Use in Georgia, 1980, by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Metropolitan Savannah Water Resources Management Study, 1983, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the 1995 and 2000 Water Supply Plans. 5.1 Chatham County Historic Water Demand Historical water use data in Chatham County were obtained from the USGS publication Water Use in Georgia. Data were collected for the following years: 1980, 1985, 1987, 1995 and 1997. In 1980, the groundwater utilization was 75.03 MGD derived from the categories of public supply, domestic and commercial, industrial, irrigation, livestock, and thermoelectric. As presented in Table 14.0, from 1980 to 1997 the total usage of groundwater increased and then decreased as a result of alternative surface water use. The increase in surface water use occurred in areas of public supply, industrial, livestock and thermoelectric.
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The 1995 Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan for Chatham County reported that 115 small community systems were permitted in Chatham County. Only Savannah, Thunderbolt, and Tybee Island provided water service that is available to almost all of their citizens. Very large areas existed without water service in Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler and Port Wentworth. The Eastside and Westside unincorporated areas of Chatham County had large parcels of property that were not served by a water system. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes for industrial water uses have varied in the categories of paper (SIC 26) and chemicals (SIC 28) whereas food (SIC 20) and petroleum (SIC 29) have remained relatively the same. In 1980, groundwater use for paper was 26.33 MGD and 53.60 MGD for surface water. In 1985, surface water use for paper declined significantly to 25.02 MGD. After this decrease, water use for paper for groundwater and surface has remained close to 26 MGD. The chemical industry used 9.25 MGD of groundwater and 16.00 MGD of surface water in 1980. In 1990, this value increased to 20.61 MGD for groundwater use, while surface water use declined to 4.12 MGD. In 1995 groundwater use was reduced to 10.57 MGD and surface water use increased to 14.10 MGD and has remained close to this level for the chemical industry. The food industry’s use of groundwater was 4.28 MGD in 1980 and steadily declined to 2.05 MGD by 1997 without surface water use. Water use by the petroleum industry has historically stayed under 1.0 MGD for groundwater. The historically large amount of surface water in Chatham County being used for thermoelectric purposes is shown in the Historic Water Use Table 14.0. The majority of thermoelectric water use has come from surface water. Industrial water usage from surface water and groundwater sources has decreased significantly since 1980. Water use by public water supply systems has increased for groundwater and surface water sources due to a population growth. In 1980 irrigation groundwater use was estimated at 0.29 MGD and increased to 4.4 MGD in 1997. Livestock water use, with estimates from 0.01 MGD to 0.03 MGD, has not historically been at significant levels in Chatham County.
TABLE 14.0 Chatham County Historical Water Demand
Groundwater
(MGD)
Year Public Supply/Municipal
Private, Individual
& Commercial
Industrial Irrigation Livestock Thermo-electric Total
1980 27 0.86 42.67 0.29 0.01 4.2 75.03 1985 32.49 2.71 38.22 1.47 0.01 3.55 78.45 1987 31.31 2.69 36.06 1.3 0.01 2.31 73.68 1990 28.8 3.56 50.6 2.55 0.01 2.38 87.9
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TABLE 14.0 Chatham County Historical Water Demand
Groundwater
(MGD)
Year Public Supply/Municipal
Private, Individual
& Commercial
Industrial Irrigation Livestock Thermo-electric Total
1995 32.96 4.14 36.05 4.4 0.01 3.6 81.16
1997 31.4 5.01 31.65 4.4 0.01 3.6 76.07 2004 31.77 2.142 24.65 1.39 0.01 3.6* 63.56
Surface Water
(MGD)
Year Public Supply/Municipal
Private, Individual
& Commercial
Industrial Irrigation Livestock Thermo-electric Total
1980 33.11 0 70.61 0.25 0.03 368.8 472.8 1985 31.38 0 37.18 0.39 0.02 350.83 419.8 1987 34.5 0 37.16 0.28 0.02 350 421.961990 35.95 0 29.24 0 0.03 363 428.221995 44.04 0 39.26 0.16 0.03 441 524.491997 31.4 0 35.68 0.16 0.03 441 508.272004 31.38 0 31.85 .025 0.03 441* 504.29
* Assumed to be consistent with the previous year’s figures. Table Source: Usage reported to the Savannah Coastal EPD office and City of Savannah Water Distribution Department.
5.2 Current Water Use The basic method used in both the 1995 and 2000 Water Supply Plan to determine current water use was used for the 2005 five year update. For community domestic/commercial water systems that hold Groundwater Usage Permits, reported information was used to determine average water usage (in gallons per day), number of people served, and/or per capita usage. The same information was gathered or estimated for the small systems that hold Safe Drinking Water Permits. This differs from the 1995 plan in which the usage figures for the majority of community and non-community systems were estimated, not documented by reported values.
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The amount of domestic water used by owners of individual wells was determined by a deductive procedure based upon determining the number of people served by public and private water systems. The remaining number of people served by individual wells was calculated and an estimated per capita use figure was applied to determine the present domestic water use from individual wells. This information is shown in Table 15.0. Individual industries that hold Groundwater Usage Permits are required to report average annual use. Surface water usage for individual industries that are served by the I & D Water System was obtained from the City of Savannah Water and Sewer Bureau. The groundwater and surface water use figures for individual industries were then added together to identify total present industrial water use. All groundwater withdrawal permits were reviewed to identify present users of water for irrigation purposes. Amounts of usage were determined from permitted usage and estimated based on historical water use by irrigation. Table 15.0 summarizes the domestic/commercial use of the Floridan Aquifer and shows the progress achieved in reducing the Floridan Aquifer per capita use rate since the 2000 Plan.
TABLE 15.0 Floridan Aquifer Domestic/Commercial Per Capita Water Use Rate (Excludes Industrial, Non-Residential Irrigation and Agricultural Usage)
Countywide Population
(2004)
Total Domestic/
Commercial Water Use
(MGD)
Per Capita
Per Day Water
Use (gallons)
2004
1999 Per
Capita Rate
Per Capita Savings
from 1999-2004
Water Use Savings from 1999-2004 (MGD)
Difference in Population 1999-2004
250,192 33.912 135.54 141.6 6.06 0.028 10,475
Table Source: Data extrapolated from the 2000 Water Management Plan as well as that reported to the Coastal Georgia EPD office. 6.0 Water Supply Sources Increasing demand for water in the Savannah area has prompted water resources managers to evaluate the potential for obtaining additional water. The principal source of groundwater for the Coastal Georgia area is the Upper Floridan Aquifer. The Floridan Aquifer system is divided into two portions called the Upper Floridan and the Lower Floridan Aquifers. The Floridan Aquifer system is the major source of water in Florida, the Coastal Plain of Georgia, and adjacent parts of South Carolina, except where it contains saltwater.
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The United States Geologic Survey (USGS) has conducted numerous studies of the Floridan Aquifer system in Southeast Georgia. The following information on the aquifer is a summary of the studies listed in the references section. 6.1 Groundwater Sources 6.1.1. Upper Floridan Since the 1880s the Upper Floridan Aquifer has served as the largest source of fresh water in Coastal Georgia and therefore serves as the primary water supply. In much of the developed area of Savannah and in the adjacent coastal areas in Georgia and South Carolina, regional water level declines and a reversal in the seaward hydraulic gradient continues due to extensive pumping. The change in hydraulic gradients is causing lateral encroachment of seawater in the Upper Floridan Aquifer at the north end of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and vertical intrusion of saltwater into the Upper and Lower Floridan Aquifers in the Brunswick, Georgia area. The rock types of the Floridan Aquifer consist of limestone and dolomite and smaller amounts of evaporite, clay, sand and marl. The aquifer thickens from less than 100 feet at the northern end of Hilton Head Island to more than 2,000 feet in Glynn and Camden Counties in Georgia and Nassau County in Florida. The depth below the ground surface to reach the top of the Floridan Aquifer increases from less than 150 feet in coastal South Carolina to more than 1,400 feet in Glynn and Camden counties, Georgia. The hydrogeologic units of interest regarding the Floridan Aquifer system in the Coastal Plain of Georgia and adjacent parts of Florida and South Carolina are, in descending order: surficial aquifer, upper confining unit (Miocene), Upper Floridan Aquifer, middle confining unit, Lower Floridan Aquifer, lower semi-confining unit, Fernandina permeable zone, and lower confining unit. All units are not present throughout the area.
34
• Lateral encroachment from SC coast to Tybee Island
• Vertical intrusion in Brunswick area wells
Diagrams from Georgia’s Ground Water Resources, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, 1993.
The recharge area for the Floridan Aquifer system is located along the Fall Line. The recharge area is more than 100 miles from Savannah. Rainwater enters the aquifer in the recharge area. Two confining units prevent the water from escaping to the surface or moving to greater depths. The water moves eastward and southward at a rate of about one inch per day. This could bring rain water that fell within a recharge area to Chatham County as much as 20,000 years later. The Upper Floridan Aquifer receives recharge from the Willacoochee River north of Valdosta where water from the river flows directly into sinkholes and large solution openings in the aquifer. Increased precipitation and stream flow in winter and early spring result in higher groundwater levels. During most years, decreased precipitation and increased evapotranspiration in the summer results in lower stream flow and lower ground water levels. Wells that collect groundwater from the aquifer are affected by precipitation, evapotranspiration and pumping. Fluctuations of recharge in the Coastal area are less pronounced. Therefore, the water level primarily adjusts to pumping.
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Groundwater flow in the Floridian Aquifer system is controlled by rates and distribution of recharge, the extent and effects of confinement, and the ability of the aquifers to transmit and store water. Prior to development, the flow system is considered to have been at dynamic equilibrium and the potentiometric surfaces nearly unchanged from year to year. Recharge to the aquifers was balanced by natural discharge, resulting in no change in storage in the aquifer system on a long term average basis. Only seasonal and short term climatic fluctuations affected the depth of the potentiometric surface. The present groundwater flow system reflects changes that have occurred as the result of groundwater pumping. The most noticeable change is the cone of depression in the Upper Floridan Aquifer beneath the City of Savannah. The large withdrawal of groundwater from the Upper Floridan Aquifer in the Savannah-Hilton Head Island area has lowered the head and reversed the gradient in the aquifer, resulting in the potential for migration of the freshwater-saltwater interface toward the areas of pumping. As a result, there are manifestations in the potentiometric surface, the rates and distribution of recharge and discharge, the rates and direction of groundwater flow, and the quality of the water in the aquifer. The USGS has monitored wells in Coastal Georgia since the 1950s. A 1999 analysis of groundwater samples concluded that chloride concentration in the Upper Floridan Aquifer is less than 40 milligrams per liter for most of Coastal Georgia. This value is within the 250 mg/L drinking water standard established by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, in the Brunswick area, chloride concentration in water from the Upper Floridan Aquifer exceeds drinking water standards. Water in the Lower Floridan Aquifer generally has high chloride concentration in the Savannah and Brunswick areas. 6.1.2. Secondary Aquifers Secondary aquifers include the surficial, the Upper and Lower Brunswick, and the Lower Floridan. The Lower Floridan Aquifer is not commonly used in Coastal Georgia for water supply because it is so deeply buried and saltwater is present in certain sections. The Lower Floridan Aquifer can serve as a freshwater source where high yielding wells can connect into the aquifer. The surficial, Lower Floridan, Upper Brunswick, and Lower Brunswick are secondary sources of groundwater for Chatham County. 6.1.3. Safe Yield of Groundwater Sources The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with state, local, and other federal agencies, conducted a water-resource management study of the Chatham County area. The Metropolitan Savannah Water Resources Management Study was completed in December 1983. The study evaluated the existing water supply problems and planned for future increases in water demands. The concern by both state and local officials about potential decreases in the availability of groundwater and further saltwater intrusion and seawater encroachment at places in the
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coastal area indicated the need for comprehensive management and protection of the aquifer. EPD is the state agency that has statutory authority to regulate water use through a permitting system. This system requires permits for all withdrawals of surface water or groundwater that exceed 100,000 gallons per day. It became apparent that some limitations on additional withdrawal from the Floridan Aquifer system were appropriate in some parts of Coastal Georgia to protect the quality of public water supplies. The Interim Strategy was developed and implemented to address these issues and to study the safe yield of groundwater sources through the Sound Science Initiative. At the conclusion of the Sound Science Initiative in 2005, the safe yield of groundwater sources will be determined and planned for by local governments. 6.2. Surface Water as a Source The significant sources of surface water for Chatham County are the Savannah River and the Ogeechee River. Flows in the Savannah River have been most recently recorded at about 4,680 cubic feet per second using November 2000 data. An analysis of the quality of surface water in Chatham County was conducted by the USGS that indicated a low range in dissolved solids. The values for dissolved iron and dissolved residue concentrations exceeded standards for secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCL). The analysis from the Ogeechee River reported that more than half the samples contained dissolved iron and dissolved manganese concentrations that were higher than SMCL standards. Funding has been approved for the Savannah River Cuts Restoration Project which will restore portions of the river system to its original alignment and increase flow to the wetlands surrounding the I & D Water System intake. Wetlands serve as significant natural filters and will improve the water quality in the area. The City of Savannah is also involved in the Savannah River Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Study with the Corps of Engineers that mandates EPA to develop new water quality standards based on current data. Concerns about future water supply demands prompted the USGS and the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission to undertake a cooperative study in 1989 to evaluate surface water and groundwater resources in the area. The assessment of surface water availability was restricted to the Savannah and Ogeechee Rivers because they are considered the only potential surface water sources in the study area. The availability of groundwater was evaluated by using groundwater flow models. The Savannah area model was developed to estimate the potential for additional groundwater use from the Upper Floridian Aquifer in the Savannah and Hilton Head Island areas and to evaluate resource management alternatives in the Savannah area at a greater resolution than that available with existing models. The previously calibrated models in the coastal area simulated the effects of additional pumping on water levels near sites of seawater encroachment at Hilton Head Island and saltwater intrusion at Brunswick.
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6.3. Source Water Protection 6.3.1. Water Resources Programs Throughout Chatham County Programs for protection of Chatham County’s groundwater include public education about water conservation, prevention of non-point pollution, Adopt-A-Stream volunteer monitoring, stormwater programs, wet and dry weather monitoring, protection of groundwater recharge areas, and wellhead protection. The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission has an ongoing Water Resources Program that works jointly with the City of Savannah’s Water Program to promote water conservation, stormwater quality and groundwater quality. Other areas such as Bloomingdale, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island and Garden City also promote water conservation and educate on water quality issues in their jurisdictions. Educational Materials The city of Savannah provides Water Sourcebooks for Chatham County-Savannah teachers in private and public schools. The books are geared for grade levels K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. All grade levels are available on CD-ROM. This series provides hands-on activities using water as the theme to supplement and enhance existing curriculum. The activities are applicable to all geographic areas and support the disciplines of mathematics, science, language arts, social studies, and related arts. The Water Sourcebook was produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Legacy, Inc. and the Water Environment Federation. It is distributed in Georgia by the Georgia Water Wise Council. City of Savannah Water & Sewer staff offer to present local water issues to the public as well as teach an activity out of the Water Sourcebook for school age classes. The City of Savannah sponsors the Water Smart Puppet Show. This program uses puppets, music and storytelling to teach elementary school age children about water resources and water conservation. Every year between 10 and 15 elementary schools in Chatham County receive a visit from the Water Smart Puppet Show, and it's always an exciting and memorable experience for the children. Promotional The Water Conservation Program developed a fun promotional with the local Sand Gnats baseball team. It uses a visual pun; hence the creation of Less Waters, the Running Toilet. You can see Less Waters at select home games. This running plumbing fixture helps educate the public on why a leaky, running toilet is not good for the environment. We must all do our part to conserve water in our community, and fixing leaks helps us to be more efficient in our water usage. Let's go out to the ball games; support our team; and learn more about water conservation! Events Earth Day is a big event held in April that the city of Savannah Water & Sewer sponsors, along with Jiffy Lube, Savannah Electric, Local Emergency Planning Committee, and the Metropolitan Planning Commission. This event is designed to reach out into the community and educate as many citizens as possible on local environmental issues, and what they can do
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to help protect our valuable resources. This event has grown to more than 80 exhibitors and over 7500 people attending. This event also gives the community an opportunity to recycle paint, oil, batteries, newspapers, paper stock, glass, and cardboard. Water Conservation Devices The city of Savannah provides the following items, at no charge, to citizens/customers who are connected to the city of Savannah Water and Sewer systems. Indoor Water Conservation Kits include: low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators, flapper, and leak detection tablets. Outdoor Water Conservation Kits include: multi position garden hose, hose repair ends, water gauge, garden hose nozzle seal & screen washer. Toilet Diverters: This device saves 1/2 gallon per flush of the fill cycle water. Leak Detection Dye Tablets: Easy to use dye tablets to detect silent leaks. Plumbing Retrofits
The Savannah Water Efficiency Project (SWEP) is a dynamic partnership between the city of Savannah Water & Sewer Bureau, the Neighborhood Improvement Association (NIA), local businesses, and industries.
The program is designed to educate community residents about simple actions they can take to conserve water, such as replacing their old water-guzzling toilets with new, ultra-low-flush toilets (ULFTs). Residents who participate receive a ULFT, a low-flow shower head, and faucet aerators which they install in their homes. In order to receive a new toilet, they must be willing to return the old fixture.
The first toilet swap was held on October 17, 1998, when 400 ULFTs were distributed to residents who had pre-registered. Walk-ups were also accepted. Since that time, 1,620 single residential homes and 458 public housing units have been retrofitted with ultra low-flow toilets saving an estimated 11.6 million gallons.
The average water savings per household from installing a ULFT is 43 gallons per day assuming a 3.4 gallon savings per flush and an average 10 flushes a day per household. If every residence in Chatham County were equipped with a ULFT, a savings of 3.4 million gallons of water per day (mgd) (100,000 x 34) would accrue. Residences that have received ULFTs have shown a decrease of 16 - 24% in their bi-monthly water bills.
The most recent event was held on October 22, 2005 at East Broad Elementary School. The event targeted all city of Savannah water customers. A total of 220 ULFT were distributed on this day. 6.3.2 Groundwater Guardians The Groundwater Foundation is a nonprofit organization that started at the grass roots level. The organization is dedicated to informing the public about groundwater. One of the programs provided by the Groundwater Foundation is the Groundwater Guardian Program.
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The Groundwater Guardian Program encourages communities to begin groundwater awareness and protection programs by supporting the community in their efforts, and recognizing their achievements. This international program began in 1994 with eight test-year communities. The Chatham County Groundwater Guardian team was formed in February 1996, and consists of 12 members representing four community interest groups: citizen organizations and interested citizens, business and agriculture, education, and government. The Chatham County Groundwater Guardian Team mission is to raise awareness in the community concerning groundwater protection. Some of the activities that the team members have completed or continue to work on are as follows:
• Educational Outreach - Members of the team make presentations to various schools, civic and professional groups. The Groundwater Guardian display is used at many outreach events in the community.
• Water Wise / Xeriscape Education - Water wise landscaping classes are held, and materials explaining the seven principals of Xeriscape are distributed.
• Coastal Water Festival - A hands-on educational festival for 4th graders to learn about water resources.
• County-wide Storm Drain Marking Program - This program asks local volunteer groups to glue tiles with a “No Dumping - Drains to Waterways” message to storm drains in their areas. The tiles are intended to remind citizens to protect local waters from pollution that will impair water quality and damage local habitats.
• Plumbing Retrofits - Members help organize events to distribute low-flow plumbing fixtures into the community.
• Earth Day - Members help organize Earth Day Festival in Forsyth Park. 6.3.3. Wellhead Protection The Chatham County Inspections Department performs inspections of wells to prevent wellhead contamination. A Wellhead Protection Ordinance has been passed and enacted by the Chatham County Commission for public water systems and an inspector has been hired to inspect each wellhead in unincorporated Chatham County. A GIS layer has been created and is being edited for accuracy. All of the municipalities within Chatham County also have wellhead protection ordinances in place to address stormwater pollutants that have the potential to impact groundwater quality through the wellhead. 6.3.4. Protection of Groundwater Recharge Areas The protection of groundwater recharge areas protects groundwater quality by restricting land uses that generate, use, or store pollutants within groundwater recharge areas and by establishing minimum sizes for lots within groundwater recharge areas that are served by on-site sewage management systems. Prior to the issuance of a building permit or a demolition permit, the Zoning Administrator assesses whether the proposed activity is located within a
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groundwater recharge area as identified by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. All lands identified as groundwater recharge areas are subject to development standards. 6.3.5. Stormwater Quality Programs Chatham County’s Stormwater Management Program reduces the pollutant levels in runoff and therefore helps to improve the quality of water resources. For planning and management purposes, numerous individual control techniques termed Best Management Practices (BMP’s) are grouped into three levels based on their pollution control or removal capabilities. Level I consist of nonstructural management controls intended to reduce the accumulation of surface pollutants or the amount of runoff. These controls are preventive in nature and can be applied to both existing and future situations. Several of the Level I control measures used in Chatham County include: Public awareness programs, Sediment and Erosion Control Measures, Litter Controls, and Industrial Good Housekeeping and Runoff Controls. Level II generally consists of both structural and nonstructural source controls. This level is directed toward (1) removing surface pollutants prior to their entering receiving waters, and/or (2) reducing pollutants by lowering peak discharge or volume of runoff. Level II controls used in Chatham County are as follows: Street Sweeping, Detention Impoundments, Grit Chambers and Screens, Stormwater System Maintenance, Planning Procedures, Maintaining Public Streets, Flood Control Projects, Landfill Monitoring Program, and Community Education Programs. Level III controls are structural discharge controls. These are generally constructed at the discharge end of medium to large sized stormwater collection systems. 6.3.6. Source Water Protection Program Source water assessment and protection programs provided under the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) offer tools and opportunities to build a prevention barrier to drinking water contamination. Under Georgia’s program, the City of Savannah developed a Source Water Protection Program for the surface water source used for the Savannah I & D facility. With funding from EPD, the City developed a comprehensive program that will identify the areas that supply public tap water, inventory contaminants and assess water system susceptibility to contamination, and inform the public of the results. Wellhead and watershed protection programs were also components of this program. This assessment can now be used to focus prevention resources on drinking water protection. 6.3.7. Wetlands Protection Under the Part V Environmental Planning Criteria, Chatham County, the cities of Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Savannah, and Tybee Island, and the Town of Thunderbolt adopted Wetlands Protection Ordinances that provide a procedure for local governments to coordinate federal wetlands permitting with local permitting. These ordinances provide a regulatory framework by which potential wetlands impacts can be evaluated by the Corps of Engineers through their permitting process, before local permits for land disturbance and building are issued.
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6.3.8. Consumer Confidence Reports All public water systems were required to complete a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) in 2004. The CCR was mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and contained information on the quality of the drinking water provided. Each year, this report is required to be distributed to the water system’s customers via a number of allowable methods. 7.0. 2000 Water Supply Management Strategy In the 1995 Plan, six water supply management scenarios were compiled and presented to the Water Supply Technical Committee (renamed the Water Supply Task Force during this Plan update) and the Chatham Environmental Forum for review and discussion. The projected savings found in the 1995 scenarios were calculated against the projected demand increase from 38.36 MGD in 1993 to 51.58 MGD in 2025. After review of the six scenarios, the Water Supply Technical Committee and the Chatham Environmental Forum selected a modification of Scenario 6 as the management plan to be submitted to the local governments, citizens of Chatham County and EPD’s Water Resources Management Branch for review and approval. The selected water supply management scenario identified sixteen strategies to be implemented by the local governments adopting the plan. The 2000 Chatham County Water Supply Management Plan updates the 1995 strategies while taking into account aspects of the Interim Strategy that affect local planning which were not in place at the time of the 1995 Plan. 8.0 Summary of the EPD Interim Strategy The 1997 Interim Strategy was written with the objective of stopping the intrusion of salt water before municipal water supply wells on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia are contaminated, and to prevent an existing saltwater problem at Brunswick, Georgia from worsening. Implementation of the Interim Strategy continued until December 31, 2005. Aspects of the Interim Strategy that have and will continue to affect Chatham County include:
• Requirement for the preparation of County-wide Water Supply Plans for all 24 counties in the affected area by December 31, 2000.
• Requirement for Chatham County to reduce by 10 MGD the groundwater
withdrawals from the Upper Floridan Aquifer by December 31, 2005. EPD has credited 9.435 MGD towards this required reduction thus far from reductions in Groundwater Use Permits. The current water use data
in the 2005 Plan indicated further reductions in Chatham County since 2000.
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• Requirement for the pulp and paper industry to carry out those groundwater conservation measures identified in the 1995 Institute of Paper Science and Technology Study. • Requirement for both municipal and industrial permit applicants to have a water conservation plan and/or ordinances to receive a new or expanded permit.
• Encouragement for water users to use surface water or the shallow aquifers, whenever possible, for future water supply.
• Policy for substitution of surface water, treated wastewater, or water from shallow aquifers, whenever feasible, for golf course irrigation and non- contact cooling water currently being withdrawn from the Upper Floridan Aquifer.
• Restrictions on issuing new permits for golf course irrigation or non- contact
cooling water, where alternate sources of water exist.
• Cancellation of inactive groundwater permits.
• Reduction of Union Camp/International Paper’s groundwater withdrawal permit by December 31, 2005.
• Establishment of a permit limit for each individual Upper Floridan Aquifer permit holder.
• Restriction on issuing water withdrawal permits or Safe Drinking Water Permits for development or construction of new public water systems after April 23, 1997, if the source of water supply is the Upper Floridan
Aquifer. A possible exception would be considered for transfers which shift pumpage away from the cone of depression.
• Requirements for small water users (less than 0.10 MGD) to meter and report their water usage.
• Permanent remanding of the reclaimed water to the Upper Floridan Aquifer for maintenance of the potentiometric surface, or temporarily remanding of water for reallocation into areas where pumpage would not adversely affect the potentiometric surface in the Savannah cone of depression.
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8.1 Sound Science Initiative The Sound Science Initiative was conducted by EPD as the basis for implementation of a final strategy for managing saltwater intrusion at the end of 2005. There are specific Sound Science studies that may impose constraints upon the current planning project for Chatham County. Examples are studies of the shallow aquifers as alternative sources and engineering studies of management options. The Coastal Georgia Sound Science Initiative conducted by the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) and the Georgia Geologic Survey of EPD was an evaluation of groundwater flow, saltwater contamination and alternative water sources for Coastal Georgia. The studies in the Sound Science Initiative included conducting offshore drilling, studying alternative sources including the Lower Floridan, seepage ponds, and Miocene Aquifer, creating a monitoring network and database, and studying groundwater flow and conduct solute-transport modeling. The offshore drilling project attempted to provide answers to the location of the fresh/saltwater interface, the location of ancient river systems that have cut into the aquifer, the location of where saltwater is entering the aquifer, and the hydraulic properties of the hydrogeologic units. The Miocene Aquifer study assesses water availability by analyzing depth, thickness, hydraulic properties, and water quality of the Miocene Aquifer, as well as developed a hydrogeologic framework for groundwater modeling studies. The test sites for the Miocene Aquifer study were located in Bryan, Effingham, Chatham and Glynn counties. At Tybee Island and St. Mary’s, Georgia groundwater levels and chloride concentrations were monitored and a comprehensive database was then developed and maintained. Through these studies, the Sound Science Project developed a variety of pumping scenarios that were used to evaluate groundwater levels at Hilton Head Island and Brunswick and the rate of lateral movement of saltwater at Hilton Head Island. In addition to the regional groundwater flow models, smaller solute-transport models centered around the Savannah - Hilton Head Island and Brunswick areas were developed. As part of the Sound Science Initiative, a Groundwater Stakeholders Group was established consisting of representatives from Georgia and South Carolina, county and local governments, water utilities, pulp and paper industry, seafood industry, and environmental groups. EPD contracted with The Georgia Conservancy to plan and host two meetings to identify groundwater management questions. The group recommended seventeen questions for EPD to address through the Sound Science Initiative’s groundwater models and technical investigations although all seventeen questions were unable to be answered at the end of the initiative. The Stakeholder Group’s input was then used by EPD and the USGS to develop the next generation of groundwater models for use in the Sound Science Initiative. This process encouraged stakeholders to think of issues that may not have been addressed by the previous models. The new generation of models ultimately may or may not be able to answer all of the questions posed by the group. USGS has noted that the proposed Savannah Harbor deepening may potentially cause more saltwater intrusion into the aquifer. The new models could be used to show the vertical flux of the water table system and may provide more information about the potential for downward movement of saltwater over time.
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The Stakeholders Group concluded by ranking and grouping the seventeen questions into four main recommendation areas. They recommended that the models assess the ecological effects of all use scenarios, particularly effects on river base flow, on wetlands, and on freshwater inflow to estuaries and that specific use scenarios be modeled to address these surface water resources. The group recommended that the models assess conditions at steady state groundwater levels and chloride concentrations. Other recommendations were to specify the impacts of current and unchanged withdrawals. While some of the specific questions developed by the stakeholders group could be addressed by the new models, others would have to be addressed by EPD in another manner. The results of the present generation of models from the Sound Science Initiative as well as the new generation being determined will guide EPD in developing policy, rules and regulation concerning water resources in Coastal Georgia. Several of the issues crucial to local water supply planning have yet to be addressed by EPD. The direction of several of the 1995 strategies and the 2000 strategies from the Chatham County Plan will depend upon how EPD chooses to interpret the results of the Sound Science Initiative and then develop future policies based on those results. 9.0 Progress of the Water Supply Management Strategies for Chatham County
Strategy 1 MPC, with input from the Water Supply Task Force, shall be the designated entity to track and evaluate the implementation of the plan and will report annually on the status of plan implementation. The Water Supply Management Plan Annual Report shall include a concise assessment of the status of each strategy and shall be provided to EPD, each municipality, and members of the Task Force and the Chatham Environmental Forum by February 28 of each year beginning in 2002. An annual Task Force Meeting shall be held each year by January 31 to review the findings of the Annual Report. Recommendations for a report card program shall be presented to the Task Force at the 2002 Annual Meeting. The Annual Report shall be available to the public upon request. The Metropolitan Planning Commission hosted a meeting of the Water Supply Task Force every year since 2000 by January 31 of that year. Area industries, golf course representatives and members of the Chatham Environmental Forum were also invited to attend and participate in an advisory capacity during this meeting. MPC staff reviewed the strategies that required action, and Task Force Members and all related parties were asked to submit information regarding the implementation of these strategies. Report cards for Chatham County and the Cities of Savannah, Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Tybee Island and Vernonburg, and the Town of Thunderbolt were completed and included in the corresponding year’s report.
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Strategy 2 At five-year intervals an update of the Water Supply Management Plan shall be prepared. The first update shall be completed in 2000. Subsequent updates shall follow in 2005, 2010, 2015, etc. Each five-year update shall include an update of the data, a status report on the implementation strategies, evaluation of and modifications to the strategies, and additional requirements by EPD. MPC staff shall prepare the update with the assistance of the Task Force and the Environmental Forum. Each five-year update shall be presented to the Chatham County Commission and the other municipal governments for adoption and then submitted to EPD for approval. This strategy will be implemented through an intergovernmental agreement between local governments and the MPC. The document in hand is the 2005 Progress Report of the Water Supply Management Plan. Due to issues concerning the State’s implementation of the Sound Science Initiative, the County is not submitting a complete comprehensive report on the County’s water supply plan. This progress report specifically discusses those strategies that are capable of being reported on out of the original 28 strategies. In other words, the strategies that were focused around the Sound Science Initiative as well as initiatives by EPD would not be discussed since the outcomes of these tasks are still being formulated. There are approximately 5 strategies out of the original 28 that are focused around EPD initiatives and the Interim Strategy/Sound Science effort. After the February 2006 submittal there will continue to be a yearly submittal of the shorter annual updates until the year 2010 when the County will again be tasked to submit another comprehensive 5 year update of the Water Supply Plan. By 2010 the County should be able to report on where the State stands with the Interim Strategy as well as the State Comprehensive Plan due out in 2008.
Strategy 3 The local governments, in adopting this plan, concur with the strategies and shall implement them within their jurisdictions. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions adopting the Plan. All of the jurisdictions within Chatham County signed resolutions that allowed for the adoption of the original 1995 Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan.
Strategy 4 EPD, as stated in the interim strategy, should develop a regional long-term water supply plan. This regional plan should adopt elements from the 23 county plans. Through its water withdrawal and discharge permitting authority, EPD should implement the regional plan. This strategy will be implemented through EPD’s development of a regional plan and Final Strategy. The long-term water supply plan mentioned in this strategy is currently being developed by EPD.
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Strategy 5 The Sound Science Initiative should address the availability and the effects of use of the Miocene Aquifer and the Lower Floridan Aquifer in Chatham County. Further strategies to use the Miocene Aquifer and the Lower Floridan Aquifer shall be determined when these studies are conclusive. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions containing policies related to use of the Miocene Aquifer and Lower Floridan Aquifer. The complete findings of the Sound Science Initiative and how that information will be translated to the local governments is currently still being decided on by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
Strategy 6 The surficial aquifer may be utilized for landscape irrigation wherever possible in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. Local ordinances will be revised to allow for use of the surficial aquifer for irrigation purposes by 2005. This strategy will be implemented through local ordinances modified to allow for use of the surficial aquifer. The use of the surficial aquifer for irrigation purposes is allowed in all of the County’s jurisdictions except for the City of Savannah. Savannah is currently investigating whether it will change its local ordinances to follow this recommendation.
Strategy 7
Treated wastewater effluent shall be utilized for landscape irrigation according to EPD guidelines, wherever possible. All golf courses and local governments shall issue a report on the availability of utilizing treated wastewater for landscape irrigation by December 2001 and every three years thereafter. This strategy will be implemented through local ordinances adopted to require golf courses and local governments to issue reports. There have been no ordinances passed by any of the jurisdictions within Chatham County that would require golf courses to issue progress reports on the status of this particular strategy. A full update on the usage can be found in section 3.2.6 Irrigation Use.
Strategy 8 All county and municipal parks and squares utilizing the Floridan Aquifer for irrigation shall utilize an alternative irrigation source such as treated wastewater effluent or water from the surficial aquifer. A report on the evaluation of the alternative sources and the utilization or unavailability of the alternative sources for each county and municipal park and square shall be prepared by the county and municipal staffs by January 2004. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions.
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The City of Savannah is currently working with the Park and Tree and the Leisure Services Departments in evaluating each park, square and common area throughout the City to determine the feasibility of using alternative sources for irrigation. At this time, there are 17 recreational areas and facilities throughout Savannah that are irrigated and overseen by the Leisure Services Department. The Park and Tree Division currently has 63 sites that are irrigated. Of these 63 sites, 23 are metered and 5 of the areas use shallow wells for irrigation purposes. Many of the additional sites have been evaluated for shallow wells and 18 of the sites have had an actual attempt at utilizing a shallow well for irrigation purposes. Unfortunately, due to the high iron content of the water, park and square monuments and walkways are being stained, thus resulting in the discontinuance of shallow wells being used for irrigation. The City of Bloomingdale reports that the W.E. Taylor Park is the only site that is irrigated off the main water distribution system. This site has been evaluated but there are no alternative sources available to the City at this time. The City of Garden City currently has three common areas within the jurisdiction that are currently irrigated off of the area’s main water distribution system: Volunteer Park, the baseball fields, and The Park at Sharon Park. Of these three sites, the baseball fields and Volunteer Park have been evaluated for alternative irrigation sources. It was decided that treated wastewater effluent would be the alternative source of irrigation put into place between the 2004 and 2006 calendar years for both locations. The last site, The Park at Sharon Park has not been evaluated for alternative means of irrigation. The City of Port Wentworth reports that there are two small parks located within the City limits that are irrigated using water from the Floridan Aquifer via the main distribution system. Both sites have been evaluated for the possibility of using alternative sources, but at this time it is not financially feasible for the City to convert these two small parks over to a reuse system or shallow well. However, it has been established that any future planned parks will utilize surface water or wastewater effluent (gray water) as the main source of irrigation. The Town of Thunderbolt currently has three sites that are irrigated off of the Town’s main water distribution system: Nellie Johnson Park, Thomson Park, and Honey Park. Of the three areas, Thomson Park has been evaluated and is currently being refurbished to include shallow wells for irrigation purposes. The other two parks will be evaluated for alternative sources when the refurbishment projects for these areas begin. The City of Tybee Island currently has three common areas that have been evaluated for possible alternative irrigation sources and are as follows: Memorial Park, Jaycees Park and the Park of the Seven Flags. Of these three sites, Memorial Park and Jaycees Park are currently not irrigated although Jaycees Park is being considered for irrigation of the ball fields and surrounding plantings. Although evaluated, no alternative source of irrigation or schedule for implementation has been decided upon for Jaycee’s Park. Due to the lack of space for the installation of a shallow well for irrigation purposes, the Park of the Seven Flags is currently metered and irrigated off of the main water distribution system.
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Strategy 9 No new ground water (Floridan Aquifer) permits shall be issued for any golf courses in the County. All existing golf courses utilizing the Floridan Aquifer shall investigate alternative irrigation sources and submit a finding report to the local entity and EPD by the December 2001. Whenever a golf course finds another reliable irrigation source, then efforts to reduce Floridan usage shall begin. Golf courses utilizing the Floridan Aquifer are expected to employ aggressive conservation measures until an alternate irrigation source is located. For golf courses continuing to use the Floridan Aquifer at the time of the June 2001 report, another finding and progress report shall be prepared by those golf courses and submitted to the local entity and EPD every 3 years. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions, local government ordinances regulating golf courses, and enforcement by EPD. Although there are currently no ordinances in place within Chatham County that require the three year update by area golf courses, to maintain compliance with the progress report element of this particular strategy a questionnaire was sent to all of the golf courses within Chatham County. This document requested a review of any individual efforts that were implemented since the last update. A full update on the usage can be found in section 3.2.6 Irrigation Use.
Strategy 10 The County and all municipal governments shall begin to utilize Xeriscape principals (water efficient landscaping) in maintaining the squares and park areas. Efficient irrigation methods and techniques such as moisture sensors shall be utilized by December 2002. All local government park and square irrigation systems shall be metered by December 2002 in order to measure the progress of this strategy. A report on the economic savings accrued by utilizing Xeriscaping principals shall be prepared by MPC staff by October 2002. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions and language contained in the intergovernmental agreements between the local governments and MPC. All Chatham County public park irrigation systems are currently metered with the exception of the public garden plots at L. Scott Stell Recreational Park. The Water Supply Plan requires that the water use at this site be metered by the end of 2005. Automatic irrigation systems in Chatham County public parks have no rain sensors at present. Chatham County also maintains non-irrigation turf areas in many County parks. The City of Savannah has metered all of the irrigation systems within its public parks. In addition, all of the irrigation systems in the City of Savannah either have rain sensors or are manually shut off during a rain event. Two-thirds of recreational parks are controlled by a master system that adjusts irrigation according to plant needs. Other Xeriscape landscaping methods utilized in Savannah parks and squares include shallow wells, zoned irrigation, appropriate plant and turf selection, rain sensors and mulching.
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The City of Bloomingdale reports that it was unable to install meters and rain sensors within the public park system by the original deadline but it will install meters and rain sensors on public park irrigation systems as soon as possible. Bloomingdale also utilizes other efficient irrigation practices such as utilizing automatic timers to water at specific times, thus avoiding water loss due to evaporation. The City of Garden City has had a Rain Bird sprinkler system and meter installed at both Volunteer Park and at The Park at Sharon Park. Both sites are currently on manual control thereby alleviating the need for rain sensors. As a means of maintaining water efficient practices, the aforementioned water systems are only watered during extremely dry weather and these times are limited to two days a week, during evening hours. Other water efficient methods used by the City while maintaining the areas squares and parks include employing Xeriscaping practices, to include using drought tolerant and native plants throughout the City including the Highway 21 beautification project. The City of Pooler’s public park irrigation systems are currently metered, and rain sensors will be installed pending budget approval. Other water efficient practices utilized in Pooler’s public parks are automatic irrigation systems and drip hose irrigation at Pooler’s City Hall. The City of Port Wentworth reports that due to the lack of staff resources, the installation of meters within the public ball fields was delayed, but the City is anticipating a completion date of December 2004. At the present time, all public park irrigation systems are manually operated and do not require moisture sensors. As an added conservation benefit, Port Wentworth installs and maintains turf that requires no irrigation. The Town of Thunderbolt has plans to meter and install rain sensors in its three public park irrigation systems in the near future. In the meantime, Thunderbolt utilizes other efficient irrigation practices such as watering only in the morning to avoid water loss due to evaporation, and implementing Xeriscaping principles to include using drought tolerant plants throughout the Town. The City of Tybee Island reports that all public park irrigation systems are currently metered and that rain sensors will be installed on the automatic systems at the Park of the Seven Flags as well as at City Hall within the 2004 calendar year. Other water efficient methods used by the City while maintaining the areas squares and parks include employing Xeriscaping practices, to include appropriate turf maintenance and using drought tolerant and native plants throughout all of the Island’s parks. As an added benefit, Hydrosource, a synthetic water retention material, is utilized with all new plantings and mulch is applied to plantings twice a year to help retain soil moisture.
Strategy 11 Public information encouraging the use of Xeriscape principles shall be made available to all local government offices related to development of new or existing residential and commercial sites. Local governments shall develop incentives to encourage the use of Xeriscape principles by February 15, 2003. This strategy will be implemented through
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intergovernmental agreements between MPC and local governments and local ordinances that encourage or require the use of Xeriscape. At the January 2002 Water Supply Task Force meeting, the original deadline of October 2001 was extended to February 15, 2003. This postponement was made in consideration of a grant that was submitted to fund a Xeriscape conference that was hosted by the MPC on November 7, 2002 at the Civic Center in Savannah. It was then decided that Chatham County and all the municipalities would work to adopt Xeriscape incentives or ordinances during the upcoming year. The City of Savannah is currently utilizing a Coastal Incentives Grant (CIG) to create a Xeriscape Demonstration Garden in the downtown area of Savannah. Also included in the CIG grant would be the opportunity to provide additional educational materials for the public as well as purchasing rain sensors to be given out Citywide. The City also states that in the future, it will be working on making changes in various ordinances to encourage Xeriscape principles, require rain sensors in specific areas, as well as allowing the use of shallow wells for irrigation in the City limits. The City of Bloomingdale reported that no incentives or ordinances were adopted during the 2000-2004 calendar years. The City of Garden City reported that no incentives or ordinances were adopted during the 2000-2004 calendar years. The City of Port Wentworth has developed a list of Xeriscaping best management practices (BMPs) to be included in project developer information packets. This list includes documentation on various native and water smart plants that will promote Xeriscaping principles as well as water conservation measures. The Town of Thunderbolt reported that no incentives or ordinances were adopted during the 2000-2004 calendar years but this item is still on the agenda. Thunderbolt also reports that the Town is planning to do an education campaign on Xeriscaping practices to augment the proposed ordinance. The City of Tybee Island reported that no incentives or ordinances were adopted during the 2000-2004 calendar years.
Strategy 12 Public information programs that encourage the use of xeriscape principles and other efforts to reduce water loss from residential irrigation shall continue to be developed and implemented. The MPC Water Conservation Program shall coordinate and document efforts under this strategy. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions and inclusion in intergovernmental agreements between MPC and local governments.
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Although there have been no intergovernmental agreements between the MPC and the local governments for this particular strategy, the MPC Water Resources Program continues to oversee and carry out all of the requirements for a xeriscape/water-wide landscaping program to benefit all of Chatham County and its residents.
Strategy 13 The public education and awareness program for water conservation at MPC shall continue to be implemented Countywide. All public and private water suppliers in Chatham County shall either participate by providing funds for the MPC Water Conservation Program or develop their own water conservation education and awareness program by July 2001. Funding for the MPC Water Conservation Program shall be based on the number of customers for each water supply system. This strategy will be implemented through intergovernmental agreements between MPC and local governments and local ordinances for private water suppliers. Currently only the City of Savannah and unincorporated Chatham County have a dedicated water conservation public education and awareness program. The City of Savannah has a full-time dedicated staff person overseeing this program while Chatham County provides funds to the MPC for a staff person to carry out these efforts.
Strategy 14 Rate increases, which increase the charge per gallon of water as usage increases, shall be considered and implemented in all water systems to result in and maintain a per capita reduction. A base or minimum gallon usage rate shall be established and rate increases shall focus on users above the minimum. Beginning in December 2002 and every year thereafter, each municipality and public water system shall report its monthly usage and rate structure to MPC to determine whether the reduction is being achieved.
Chatham County and the Cities of Savannah, Bloomingdale, and Port Wentworth have implemented inverted block conservation rate structures. This type of rate structure will create an incentive for water customers to conserve water without affecting total revenue. The City of Tybee Island passed a tiered water rate structure in September, 2003, and the new structure was implemented in 2004. The City has determined that this rate structure did not have the positive effect on overall water usage that was hoped for. For this reason, the rate structure that was in place prior to 2003 has been presented to city Council for approval. This seasonal rate structure is still being considered by the City Council for final approval. It was decided at the January 2004 Water Supply Task Force meeting that since sewer rates come into play when determining water rates, the individual municipalities’ rates for both would be included in the annual updates, starting with the 2003 Annual Report. This allows for a better understanding of the overall cost for general water usage in Chatham County.
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The rate structures for all the municipal water suppliers are described below.
RATE STRUCTURES Chatham County Chatham County has a bi-monthly billing structure with a base rate for water usage set at $23.86. Water customers are charged at a rate of $0.32 per unit of water up to 20 units and $0.47 per unit of water over 20 units. SEWER RATES: Sewer service has a bi-monthly billing structure with a flat rate set at $53.80 and a base rate for sewer service usage set at $24.92. Sewer service customers are charged at a rate of $1.17 per unit of wastewater up to 20 units and $1.49 per unit of wastewater over 20 units. City of Savannah WATER RATES: The City of Savannah also has a bi-monthly billing structure with a base rate of $11.06 for residential and apartment customers inside the City limits. Hotels and motels located inside the City are charged a bi-monthly rate of $5.53 per unit base charge. Outside the City limits, there is a $16.59 base charge for residential and apartment customers. Hotels and motels located outside the City are charged a bi-monthly rate of $8.30 per unit base charge. Water rates per 100 cu.ft. are: Inside the City Outside the City 0-1500 cu.ft. $ 0.48 per 100 cu.ft. 0-1500 cu.ft. $ 0.72 per 100 cu.ft. 1500+ cu.ft. $ 0.66 per 100 cu.ft. 1500+ cu.ft. $0.99 per 100 cu.ft. SEWER RATES: The following are the sewer use categories upon which the sewer charges are based: User Category A: Residential (with sewer cap). User Category B: Small industrial users – less than 25,000 gallons per day, with industrial wastewater characteristics. User Category C: Large industrial users - less than 25,000 gallons per day, with industrial wastewater characteristics. User Category D: Municipal and County governments with sewage collection facilities. User Category E: Non-residential (no sewer cap). User Category F: Irrigation System (with sewer cap). The City of Savannah also has a bi-monthly billing structure with a base rate of $8.80 for residential and apartment customers inside the City limits plus $1.22 per 100 cubic feet of
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water used for the first 1,500 cubic feet per unit. Hotels and motels located inside the City are charged a bi-monthly rate of $4.40 per unit base charge, plus $1.22 per 100 cubic feet of water used for the first 1,500 cubic feet per unit. Outside the City limits, there is a $13.20 base charge for residential and apartment customers except for Isle of Hope, Chatham County Industrial Park, Runaway Point, Thunderbolt, and Pooler where the base charge is $8.80. Hotels and motels located outside the City are charged a bi-monthly rate of $6.60 per unit base charge. Sewer rates per 100 cu.ft. are based on the sewer user category and area as follows:
Inside the City User Category 0-1500 cu.ft. 1500+ cu.ft. A (Residential) $1.22 $1.60 B (Small Industrial Users) $1.34 $1.75 C (Large Industrial Users) $1.34 $1.75 E (Non-residential) $1.22 $1.60 F (Irrigation System) $1.22 $1.60 Outside the City User Category 0-1500 cu.ft. 1500+ cu.ft. A (Residential) $1.62 $2.19 B (Small Industrial Users) $1.80 $2.42 C (Large Industrial Users) $1.80 $2.42 D (Municipal and County Govmt.)** $1.52 $1.52 E (Non-residential) $1.62 $2.19 F (Irrigation System) $1.62 $2.19 ** Isle of Hope, Chatham County Industrial Park, Runaway Point, Thunderbolt, and Pooler City of Bloomingdale WATER RATES: As of January 1, 2004, the City of Bloomingdale has the following increasing block water rate structure in place: First 3,000 gallons $ 14.00 minimum charge 3,001 – 20,000 $ 1.50 per 1,000 gallons 20,001 – 29,000 $ 2.50 per 1,000 gallons 29,001 and over $ 3.00 per 1,000 gallons SEWER RATES: As of January 1, 2004, the City of Bloomingdale has the following sewer rate schedule in place:
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Residential Use:
Residential Sewer Base Rate $17.50 plus usage 0-20,000 gals. $1.50 / 1,000 gals. 20,000 gals. and over $2.50 / 1,000 gals. Residential “sewer only” users are charged $31.00 per month. Commercial Use:
Commercial Sewer Base Rate $22.75 plus usage 0-10,000 gals. $2.50 / 1,000 gals. 10,000 gals. and over $3.25 / 1,000 gals. City of Garden City WATER RATES: Residential Use (50 or less units) The City of Garden City charges a base fee of $7.42 for the first 500 cu.ft. of water and $10.39 for each additional 1,000 cu. ft. Commercial Use (51 or more units) The City of Garden City charges a base fee of $16.33 for the first 500 cu.ft. of water and $12.32 for each additional 1,000 cu. ft. SEWER RATES: Residential Use (50 or less units) The City of Garden City charges a base fee of $11.13 for the first 500 cu.ft. of wastewater and $10.39 for each additional 1,000 cu. ft. Commercial Use (51 or more units) The City of Garden City charges a base fee of $20.79 for the first 500 cu.ft. of water and $12.32 for each additional 1,000 cu. ft. City of Pooler The City of Pooler does not have an inverted block rate structure but does have rates that are adjustable per customer type. See below: WATER RATES: Residential First 2,000 gallons $6.30 Over 2,000 gallons, per 1,000 gallons $1.94 Commercial and Industrial First 5,000 gallons $31.50
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Over 5,000 gallons, per 1,000 gallons $1.94 Hotels, Motels, Hospitals, Nursing Homes First 1,000 gallons, per room $2.21 Over 1,000 gallons, per 1,000 gallons $1.94 Seniors Exemption First 2,000 gallons $5.00 Over 2,000, per 1,000 gallons $1.50 Multi-Family on Master Meter First 2,000 gallons per unit $6.30 Over 2,000 gallons, per 1,000 gallons $1.94 SEWER RATES:
Residential Base Charge $9.45
Per 1,000 gallons $2.36 Commercial and Industrial Base Charge $31.50
0-5,000 gallons, per 1000 gallons $2.36 Over 5,000 gallons, per 1,000 gallons $2.62 Hotels, Motels, Hospitals, Nursing Homes Base Charge $4.20
First 3,000 gallons, per 1,000 gallons $2.36 Over 3,000 gallons, per 1,000 gallons $2.62 Seniors Exemption Base Charge $8.00
Per 1,000 gallons $1.90 Multi-Family on Master Meter Base Charge per unit $9.45
Per 1,000 gallons $2.36
City of Port Wentworth City of Port Wentworth has an inverted block rate structure for water rates in each of the two service areas described below. WATER RATES:
Service Area A (South of Godley Road) Customer Base Charge 0-500 cu.ft. 501 cu. Ft. and above
Residential $8.41 $ 1.09 per 100 cu.ft. $ 1.31 per 100 cu.ft. MbHo/Apart. $8.41 per unit $ 1.09 per 100 cu.ft. $ 1.31 per 100 cu.ft. Hotels, etc. $1.03 per room $ 1.32 per 100 cu.ft. $ 1.52 per 100 cu.ft. Commercial $17.87 $ 1.32 per 100 cu.ft. $ 1.52 per 100 cu.ft.
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Service Area B (North of Godley Road) Customer Base Charge 0-500 cu.ft. 501 cu. Ft. and above
Residential $8.62 $ 1.54 per 100 cu.ft. $ 1.67 per 100 cu.ft. MbHo/Apart. $8.62 per unit $ 1.54 per 100 cu.ft. $ 1.67 per 100 cu.ft. Hotels, etc. $1.06 per room $ 1.80 per 100 cu.ft. $ 1.98 per 100 cu.ft. Commercial $18.32 $ 1.80 per 100 cu.ft. $ 1.98 per 100 cu.ft.
Outside City Limits Customer Base Charge 0-500 cu.ft. 501 + cu.ft. Residential $15.08 $1.62 per 100 cu.ft. $1.77 per 100 cu.ft. MbHo/Apart. $15.08 per unit $1.62 per 100 cu.ft. $1.77 per 100 cu.ft. Hotels, etc. $5.59 per room $ 2.00 per 100 cu.ft. $2.20 per 100 cu.ft. Commercial $30.69 $ 2.00 per 100 cu.ft. $2.20 per 100 cu.ft. SEWER RATES:
Within City Limits Customer Base Charge 0- 500 cu.ft. 501 + cu.ft. Residential $10.77 $1.72 per 100 cu.ft. $1.72 per 100 cu.ft. MbHo/Apart. $10.77 per unit $1.72 per 100 cu.ft. $1.72 per 100 cu.ft. Hotels, etc. $1.06 per room $1.72 per 100 cu.ft. $1.72 per 100 cu.ft. Commercial $18.32 $1.72 per 100 cu.ft. $1.72 per 100 cu.ft.
Outside City Limits Customer Base Charge 0- 500 cu.ft. 501 + cu.ft. Residential $17.23 $2.13 per 100 cu.ft. $2.56 per 100 cu.ft. MbHo/Apart. $17.23 per unit $2.13 per 100 cu.ft. $2.56 per 100 cu.ft. Hotels, etc. $5.47 per room $2.64 per 100 cu.ft. $3.18 per 100 cu.ft. Commercial $34.46 $2.64 per 100 cu.ft. $3.18 per 100 cu.ft. Town of Thunderbolt Thunderbolt has a slightly different rate structure that includes the size of the water meter. The rates inside the Town limits are as follows. WATER RATES: Meter Size Minimum Monthly Charges Minimum Gallonage Water Wastewater <1 inch $7.50 $10.50(r) or $11.30(c) 4000 gal. 1 inch $15.00 $10.50(r) or $11.30(c) 10,000 gal. 1.5 inch $27.50 $10.50(r) or $11.30(c) 20,000 gal. 2 inches $52.50 $10.50(r) or $11.30(c) 40,000 gal. 3 inches $102.50 $10.50(r) or $11.30(c) 80,000 gal. 4 inches $202.50 $10.50(r) or $11.30(c) 160,000 gal.
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6 inches $502.50 $10.50(r) or $11.30(c) 400, 000 gal. (r)= residential (c)= commercial All customers are charged at a rate of $1.25 per 1,000 gallons over the base rate for potable water usage. Sewer usage rates are $2.00 for residential and $2.20 for commercial over the base rate. SEWER RATES: Customer Residential/Single Family $2.00 Residential; $2.50 + ($2.00x thousand gallons
metered water usage). Commercial $2.50 + ($2.20 x thousand gallons metered water
usage). Commercial Multi-Unit Master Water Metered Dwellings Greater of:
(i) $2.50 + ($2.20 x 4) x Number of housing units in the dwelling; or (ii) ($2.50 x Number of housing units in the dwelling) + ($2.20 x thousand gallons metered water usage).
County Residents: Residents of the County shall pay 1.5 times the rate charged to residents of the Town of Thunderbolt. City of Tybee Island The City of Tybee Island passed the following tiered water rate structure in September 2003 and it was adopted and implemented in 2004. Unfortunately, the City felt that this rate structure did not have the positive effect on overall water usage that Tybee was hoping for. For this reason, the City of Tybee has presented to the City Council for approval the rate structure that was in place prior to 2003. This seasonal rate structure is still being considered by the City Council but will hopefully be implemented in the 2005 calendar year. Until such time, the following rate structure depicts the amounts charged to the City of Tybee Island residents for their water and sewer usage. WATER RATES: BASE FEE The proposed rate structure would create a uniform base fee of $5.00/invoice. This would result in a slight increase (+$0.12) for residential and consumption only customers; a larger increase (+$1.04) for commercial multi-unit customers and a decrease (-$1.20) for commercial customers.
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Water Rate Cost per 1000 gallons. The proposed rate structure would replace the uniform cost of $1.32/1000 gallons with a tiered rate structure. The proposed tiered rate structure would be $0.50/1000 gallons for 5000 gallons or less; $0.80/1000 for 5001-10,000 gallons; $1.10/1000 gallons for 10,001-20,000 gallons; and $1.60/1000 gallons for over 20,000 gallons. SEWER RATES: Single Family - $9.11 Commercial - $11.75 Commercial Multi-unit - $3.96 All categories also pay $1.32 per 1000 gallons of water used. Town of Vernonburg The Town of Vernonburg’s residents are currently served by private wells. Therefore there is no water utility.
Strategy 15 Industries shall implement water conservation programs to reduce by five percent current groundwater usage for the years 2000-2005. Water usage means actual withdrawals of water, not merely amounts of water allowed through permits. This strategy will be implemented through local government ordinances. None of the jurisdictions within Chatham County have adopted ordinances requiring industries to reduce their groundwater usage. However, actual savings to the Floridan Aquifer from reductions in industrial usage from 1992 – 1999 was 3.09 MGD and actual savings from 2000-2004 was 8.97 MGD. A complete listing of the industrial users reporting usage can be seen in section 3.2.3.Reported Usage for Groundwater Use Permit Holders (Municipal and Industrial).
Strategy 16 Surface water treatment capacity at Savannah's I & D plant shall be expanded as necessary. All expansions would meet the Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. This strategy will be implemented through a City of Savannah resolution. A Source Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) for the Savannah I & D system will be developed to help protect the water supply watershed, to ensure quality drinking water that meets all state and federal regulations, and to assist in the promotion and implementation of a Source Water Protection Plan. The SWAP will be completed by May 6, 2003. A $14,000,000 upgrade to the City of Savannah’s Industrial and Domestic (I&D) plant was completed in 1998. This project was initiated to meet customer demand as well as EPD’s Interim Groundwater Strategy requirement to reduce groundwater withdrawals in Chatham County by 10 MGD. Completion of the three-phase project increased the capacity of the I&D plant from 50 MGD to 62.5 MGD with available storage of 14.6 MGD. If there is a
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need for expansion of the plant in the future and permission from the EPD is granted, the I&D plant will expand it capabilities. The City of Savannah completed a Source Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) for the Savannah I & D system in October 2002. This assessment plan was developed to help protect the water supply watershed, to ensure quality drinking water that meets all state and federal regulations, and to assist in the promotion and implementation of a Source Water Protection Plan for the area.
Strategy 17 Industries shall reduce their groundwater usage first through conservation efforts and then by exchanging groundwater capacity for surface water or other sources found to be appropriate through the Sound Science Initiative. The "exchanged water" will remain in the aquifer. Industries shall issue reports every 3 years, beginning in December 2001, on the progress of water conservation efforts and the feasibility of exchanging groundwater capacity for surface water capacity. This strategy will be implemented through local government ordinances and a Chatham County resolution. This strategy was to be implemented and enforced through local government ordinances and a Chatham County resolution. To date, none of the jurisdictions within Chatham County have passed ordinances or resolutions requiring local industries to reduce their overall groundwater usage nor has anything been implemented requiring area industries to report on their progress toward groundwater use reduction. Although there are currently no ordinances in place within Chatham County requiring the three year update by area industries, to maintain compliance with the progress report element of this particular strategy, a questionnaire was previously sent to the industrial facilities within Chatham County requesting a review of any individual conservation efforts implemented since the last update in 2001. Many of the industries reported recycling of cooling water, implementing leak detection programs, and switching to surface water for certain routine processes to reduce water loss and overall water usage. Additional improvements such as flow restriction, formulation changes, process changes and the introduction of water dispersion agents have been implemented to assist industries in their mission to reduce groundwater use. Also mentioned were efforts to increase awareness training as well as routine repairs and the installation of low-flow fixtures. A complete listing of the reported groundwater usage of the industries can be seen in section 3.2.3. Reported Usage for Groundwater Use Permit Holders (Municipal and Industrial).
Strategy 18 Water users should encourage EPD to revise its groundwater use permit review process. The disincentive for reductions in groundwater use because of permittee fears that permitted amounts will be reduced if not used, should be removed. Water users should encourage the
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State legislature and EPD to develop incentives that encourage large groundwater users to conserve water or switch to surface water to the extent that surface water resources are not damaged. This strategy will be implemented through local lobbying of the State legislature. This is an ongoing strategy for the residents of Chatham County and those lobbying on the behalf of water conservation. A more definitive answer to this strategy how that information will be translated to the local governments may come out of the State of Georgia Water Supply Management Plan due out in 2008.
Strategy 19 All local governments shall develop and implement Wellhead Protection Ordinance using the model passed by Chatham County. The ordinances shall require identification of water wells and all possible pollution sources, including septic tanks within wellhead protection zones. Inventories using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) shall be completed by February 2005. Local governments shall provide annual reports to the MPC on the progress of wellhead protection inventories. This strategy will be implemented through local government ordinances and resolutions. Chatham County, Savannah, Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Tybee Island and the Town of Thunderbolt have previously adopted wellhead protection ordinances. Vernonburg has finalized a wellhead protection ordinance that addresses private wells. Activities related to implementation of the wellhead protection strategy are listed below:
Chatham County has begun a public well inventory that is not finished at this time.
The City of Savannah has completed an inventory of all 29 of the private wells within its jurisdiction. Originally, it was thought that there were 31 private wells but upon further investigation, it was discovered that the other two sites were outside of the City’s boundaries.
The City of Bloomingdale has begun a public well inventory that is not finished at
this time.
The City of Pooler has a complete inventory of all of its community system wells.
Garden City has begun public well inventories but is not finished at this time.
The City of Port Wentworth currently has a complete inventory listing of all of the private and public wells within its jurisdiction and reports that all of the City and community wells are in the City’s GIS database.
Thunderbolt is planning on completing the GPS and GIS portion of this strategy in
the near future, pending funding.
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The Georgia Rural Water Association (GRWA) completed a Wellhead Protection Plan update in 2004 for the City of Tybee Island. The City is currently updating its wellhead inventory.
Strategy 20
Local governments with identified groundwater recharge areas in their jurisdictions shall develop local regulations protecting the groundwater recharge areas according to EPD’s Environmental Planning Criteria. Local governments shall implement the Groundwater Recharge Area requirements in their jurisdiction. This strategy will be implemented through local government ordinances. Most of the groundwater recharge areas for Chatham County fall under the City of Savannah and Chatham County’s jurisdiction. The Engineering departments for both local governments follow strict protocols to ensure the integrity and quality of the groundwater system remains intact. The MPC also oversees development over these areas through its development review process as well as maintaining maps of the areas associated with the Comprehensive Plan for both jurisdictions.
Strategy 21 Local governments shall encourage EPD to strictly enforce existing protections for significant groundwater recharge areas which are located outside of Chatham County but may influence the quality of groundwater in Chatham County. EPD should follow and enforce its rules to protect those areas where the Floridan Aquifer is most susceptible to contamination. EPD should also strictly enforce protections for surface water resources which are upstream from Chatham County including the Savannah River Watershed and Ogeechee River Watershed. This strategy is not currently being enforced by the Georgia EPD. It is anticipated that there will be further guidance and management strategies regarding groundwater recharge areas in the State’s water supply plan due out in 2008.
Strategy 22 All local governments shall implement their NPDES Stormwater Permits and comply with the federal and state rules for stormwater management. This strategy will be implemented through implementation of programs already developed by all local governments in Chatham County except Vernonburg. All of the jurisdictions within Chatham County currently are in compliance with this strategy. The City of Savannah’s stormwater management plan (SWMP) is substantially similar to the SWMP developed for Chatham County and the other municipalities. Savannah has a separate program implemented and reported on by the City of Savannah’s Storm Water Department. The remaining municipalities in Chatham County are permitted as co-applicants with Chatham County as the lead co-applicant. The Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan
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Planning Commission (MPC) has conducted monitoring activities, compiled and produced the Annual Reports for all of the communities (except for Vernonburg and Savannah), and conducted all stormwater education and outreach efforts for the co-applicants. These activities have been conducted for the past ten years using funding from the municipalities and Chatham County.
Strategy 23 Accurate assessment of water usage by local governments depends upon compliance by all water systems with EPD reporting requirements under the Safe Drinking Water and Groundwater Use rules. The municipalities shall comply with the reporting requirements and EPD should enforce the requirements of all water users and suppliers. All of the municipalities are currently in compliance with this strategy.
Strategy 24 EPD is encouraged to enforce metering requirements so that Chatham County can accurately access the usage rates and evaluate the implementation status of its Water Supply Management Plan. This strategy will be implemented through EPD’s enforcement of existing state rules. This strategy is not currently being strictly enforced by the Georgia EPD. It is anticipated that there will be further guidance and management strategies regarding metering requirements in the State’s water supply plan due out in 2008. Until that time, this strategy will not be updated.
Strategy 25 All public water systems shall develop drought contingency plans for their municipal water supplies and implement those plans when necessary. This strategy will be implemented through local government resolutions and ordinances. There are currently several jurisdictions that do not ordinances or drought contingency plans in place as required by this strategy. It is anticipated that there will be further guidance and management strategies regarding drought contingency in the State’s water supply plan due out in 2008. Until that time, this strategy will not be updated.
Strategy 26 Chatham County shall utilize the remaining water allocated to the Chatham County water bank according to the criteria set forth in the Chatham County Water Supply Management Plan, Section 8.5. Should EPD increase the amounts available to the county water banks, the water use reductions achieved in Chatham County since 1995 and further reductions from 2000 to 2005 shall not be unfairly reallocated to other groundwater users in Chatham County or groundwater users in other counties.
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Please reference section 8.3. Procedure for Allocating Banked Water for a complete discussion of this strategy.
Strategy 27 The local governments of coastal Georgia shall work cooperatively among themselves and with the State to develop a long-term regional water supply management plan. This regional management plan should fairly allocate the costs associated with reducing groundwater usage and should address the need for incentives that may be needed at the state level in order to implement some of the strategies in the Chatham County plan. Strategies in the Chatham County plan concerning water reductions by industry, changes in the permit evaluation process, and allocation of water will be reevaluated in 2005 based on the regional long-term management plan developed by EPD. The State of Georgia is currently in the midst of developing a state-wide water management plan scheduled for completion in 2008. It is anticipated that there will be further guidance and management strategies regarding many of the issues presented in this document in the State’s water supply plan due out in 2008. Additionally, due to issues concerning the State’s implementation of the Sound Science Initiative, the County is not submitting a complete comprehensive report on the County’s water supply plan as originally set forth in the 2000 Plan. This 2005 progress report specifically discusses those strategies that are capable of being reported on out of the original 28 strategies. In other words, the strategies that were focused around the Sound Science Initiative as well as initiatives by EPD would not be discussed since the outcomes of these tasks are still being formulated. Until that time, this strategy will not be updated.
Strategy 28 MPC and local governments in Chatham County will assess risk to the quality of surface water supplies and will coordinate watershed protection programs with upstream counties within the Savannah River and Ogeechee River Watersheds. Local governments in Chatham County shall work cooperatively with other counties and with the State to develop plans to protect these water supply watersheds. As of 2006, the State of Georgia is currently in the midst of developing a state-wide water management plan scheduled for completion in 2008. It is anticipated that there will be further guidance and management strategies regarding surface water quality and watershed protection programs in the State’s water supply plan. 10.0 Procedure for Allocating Banked Water In late 1997, a water bank of 500,000 gallons was established by EPD from a portion of the withdrawn groundwater withdrawal permit that was originally issued to Hunt-Wesson in Savannah. According to an EPD letter dated April 8, 1999 , the initial purpose of this bank
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was to provide water for new and/or expanding small privately-owned public water systems in Chatham County where surface water or water from an existing system that has capacity under an existing groundwater use permit is not available or feasible. Another purpose stated by EPD is to encourage the development/expansion of central water systems rather than individual wells. In order to provide some water capacity for the existing or new public water systems in the capped areas of Bryan and Effingham Counties, EPD distributed the bank balance of 450,600 gallons equally between Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham Counties resulting in the establishment of a 150,200 gallon water bank for each. EPD is requiring all requests to EPD for projects that would utilize the banked water to first be submitted to the County for approval. The intent is that the County should prioritize local projects. The EPD letter establishing the bank directs and allows the County to develop a procedure for developers in Chatham County to follow to obtain water from the bank, if the County decides to allow the bank to be used at all. The Chatham County Engineer recommended that the Water Supply Management Plan be expanded to include a methodology for prioritizing requests to utilize banked water. The Task Force was presented with five possible options for allocating or not allocating the water EPD has placed in this bank. The first question for the Task Force was whether or not they recommended utilization of this water. The second question was how the water should be allocated within the county, which would require the preparation of a methodology for allocating banked water including criteria to be applied to select projects that best support the Water Supply Management Plan. The Task Force discussed the policy issues surrounding the water bank at length. One important premise for the Task Force in deciding to allow allocation of the water bank was that this is a “one-time ‘bank’” as stated in a November 21, 1997 letter from EPD to MPC. Therefore, for the effective period of this plan, 2000-2005, the Chatham County Water Bank is defined as that amount of water EPD has allocated to the County for use by existing small community water systems for minor additions to their permits. The bank is considered to be the current amount of 150,200 gallons. Any reduction achieved by conservation, innovation or use of alternative sources is not considered “banked” water. The Task Force emphasized the small amount of water this bank represents compared to total Upper Floridan water use. During the 2000 Update, the Task Force developed Strategy 26 in accordance with this policy. The Task Force concluded that this 150,200 GPD should be allocated in Chatham County by the County to water systems that meet the following list of criteria. 1. The system is an existing small community system which is in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. 2. It is not feasible for the applicant to utilize water from an existing system. 3. The system has considered water sources other than the Upper Floridan Aquifer and shown that these alternatives are unfeasible.
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4. The system participates in a water conservation education program. 5. The system has all connections metered and shows a commitment to monitoring usage and reporting usage to EPD. 6. The system uses a conservation rate structure which increases the charge per gallon of water as usage increases. The system has established a minimum gallon usage rate and rate increases focus on users above the minimum. 7. The County shall consider how the system manages and treats is wastewater. The system should provide wastewater treatment that is compliant with all federal and state requirements. Preference shall be given to systems that utilize wastewater treatment other than septic tanks given the low potential for suitable soils in Chatham County. 8. The system complies with the Wellhead Protection Ordinance effective in its jurisdiction or meets the requirements of the Chatham County Wellhead Protection Ordinance 9. The system has a drought contingency plan. On January 12, 2001, the Board of Chatham County Commissioners adopted the following procedures for approval in allocating water from the bank of 150,200 gallons. 1. The Public Works Department shall accept requests from water providers in the unincorporated area for any allocation from the water bank. 2. The requesting water provider must meet the list of criteria as provided by the Water Supply Management Plan. 3. Priority will be given to community systems, including those of Chatham County; however, each system must prove that it can not obtain the required capacity under an existing groundwater use permit or that it is not feasible. 4. Each requested connection will use 300 gallons per day as an Equivalent Residential Unit. This will keep the allocation means consistent, which also follows the City of Savannah's plan. 5. An approved allocation will be made for a specific community and number of homes. An approval cannot be transferred to another area. Any allocation must be in use within 12 months from date of approval or the quantity returns to the Water Bank. 6. The initial allocation from the Water Bank will be 50,000 gallons (this will allow time for Chatham County to pursue additional capacity for the SPA Park; if EPD does not allow Chatham County to use any of the allocation for this purpose, the remaining balance will revert to the bank for further allocation, as above). 7. The Public Works Department shall be provided administrative approval in the any allocation to a single request of 9,000 gallons or less (some 30 connections of a single family
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subdivision). Any allocation in excess of this amount will require approval from the Board of Commissioners. 8. The Public Works Department shall institute such other administrative procedures that will enable a fair process but maintain the intent of EPD's allocation. 9. The Public Works Department shall provide a semi-annual report on allocations from the Water Bank. This will enable the Board to assess requests and the status of the balance of allocations. 11.0 Conclusion This report inventories and describes the County’s water supply sources, water supply systems, and the methods and facilities for wastewater treatment. This report also documents a reduction in usage of the Upper Floridan Aquifer in Chatham County, a reduction in the countywide domestic/commercial per capita usage rate, success of the Chatham County-Savannah Water Conservation Programs, increased surface water capacity, and existing source water protection programs.
• As of December 2004, the countywide per capita usage rate has been reduced to 135.54. This represents a substantial savings in domestic/commercial groundwater even given an increase in the total population of 10,000 people over the past 5 years.
• The actual reductions in industrial groundwater use for the 2000 - 2004 time period
totaled 8.97 MGD. When added to the 3.09 MGD saved during the 1993-1999 time period, there has been a total of 12.06 MGD in actual reductions of groundwater usage from the industrial sector alone since 1993.
• During the 1993-1999 time period, there was a decrease of 4.47 MGD used by
domestic/commercial users. The total use savings for the 1999-2004 time period was 0.028 MGD. When added together, the total saved for the 1999-2004 period for the domestic/commercial sector is 4.5 MGD.
• As a whole, Chatham County has saved 16.56 MGD of groundwater over the past ten
years (domestic/commercial and industry combined). The citizens of Chatham County have long enjoyed an era in which ground water was abundant, of high quality and inexpensive. The attitudes of water users in the past have been that there will always be plenty of good quality ground water and all one had to do was drill a well to gain access. This era has come to an end. The opportunity to continue to expand the utilization of the Floridan Aquifer to meet additional demand for water is over. Chatham County, other Georgia counties, and counties in South Carolina and Florida are now faced with water supply management issues. The abundant supply and quality of the water has, and probably will continue to experience, the effects of excessive pumping.
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The Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan for Chatham County has provided a guide for the ground water users to follow and reduce consumption for the past 10 years. Chatham County met its goal of reducing groundwater withdrawals by 10 MGD from the Upper Floridan Aquifer by December 31, 2005. However, this countywide plan and the related results can not be expected to solve the water problems for this entire area, nearby counties or other states. In order to preserve and protect the long term viability of the Floridan Aquifer as a source of potable water for residential and industrial use, it is time for all the users of the Floridan Aquifer system to begin working together to solve water supply issues.
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Appendix A:
Water Service Area Maps
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70
71
72
73
74
75
76
Appendix B:
Chatham County Comprehensive Water Supply Management Plan –
Water Task Force Roster
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WATER SUPPLY MANAGEMENT PLAN TASK FORCE
Roster
Member Representing Russ Abolt, County Manager Chatham County Old Chatham County Court House 124 Bull Street, Room 220 Savannah, GA 31402 652-7869 Al Black, Assistant County Engineer Chatham County Old Chatham County Court House 124 Bull Street, Room 430 Savannah, GA 31402 652-7800 Robert Drewry Chatham County Chatham County Public Works 7235 Sally Mood Drive Savannah, GA 31405 652-6870 David Nash Chatham County Chatham County Public Works 7235 Sally Mood Drive Savannah, GA 31405 652-6856 Michael Brown, City Manager City of Savannah City Hall P.O. Box 1027 Savannah, GA 31402 651-6415 Harry Jue, Director City of Savannah Water and Sewer Bureau P.O. Box 1027 Savannah, GA 31402 651-4241
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Water Supply Management Task Force Page 2 Member Representing Richard Evans, Finance Director City of Savannah P.O. Box 1027 Savannah, GA 21402 651-6440 John Sawyer, Director City of Savannah Water Supply and Treatment P.O. Box 4038 Port Wentworth, GA 31407 964-0698 Bob Scanlon City of Savannah Environmental Affairs City of Savannah P.O. Box 1027 Savannah, GA. 31402 644-7778 Deatre Denion Environmental Planner City of Savannah City of Savannah P.O. Box 1027 Savannah, GA 31402 912-651-2221 Sandra Jones City of Bloomingdale City Clerk P.O. Box 216 Bloomingdale, GA 31302 748-0970 Tom Cannon City of Garden City Public Works Director P.O. Box 7548 Garden City, GA 31418 966-7777
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Water Supply Management Task Force Page 3 Member Representing Dennis Baxter City of Pooler City Manager 100 SW Highway 80 Pooler, GA 31322 748-7261 Robbie Byrd City of Pooler Public Works Director 100 SW Highway 80 Pooler, GA 31322 748-4800 Phillip Claxton City of Port Wentworth City Administrator 305 S. Coastal Highway Port Wentworth, GA 31407 964-4379 Tommy Thomas City of Port Wentworth Public Works Director 305 S. Coastal Highway Port Wentworth, GA 31407 966-7427 MarRonde Lumpkin-Lotson Town of Thunderbolt Town Administrator 2821 River Drive Savannah, GA 31404 354-5533 Robert Williams Town of Thunderbolt Assistant Public Works Director 423 Bonaventure Road Savannah, GA 31404 644-7999
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Water Supply Management Task Force Page 4 Member Representing Mark Williams City of Tybee Island Public Works Director P.O. Box 2749 Tybee Island, GA 31328 786-5737 Paul Wolff City of Tybee Island City Council 403 Butler Avenue P.O. Box 2749 Tybee Island, GA 31328 786-4573 Chris Klein Town of Vernonburg Attorney At Law 2 East Bryan Street Savannah, GA 31401 233-9700 Chris Rustin Chatham County Health Department 420 Mall Boulevard, Suite A Savannah, GA 31406 356-2160 Trip Tollison Savannah Area Chamber of P.O. Box 1628 (31402) Commerce 101 East Bay Street (31401) Savannah, GA 644-640 Tony Abbott Consolidated Utilities Consolidated Utilities, Inc. 221 West York Street Savannah, GA 31401 233-4721
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Water Resources Management Task Force Page 5 Member Representing Mark V. Smith Chatham Water Company Chatham Water Company P.O. Box 14111 Savannah, GA 31416 355-4466 Patricia McIntosh The Georgia Conservancy 428 Bull Street Savannah, GA 31401 447-5910 Will Berson The Georgia Conservancy 428 Bull Street Savannah, GA 31401 447-5910 Gwen McKee Savannah State University 20 Denmark Drive Savannah, GA 31406 354-6359 Charlie W. Belin, Jr., Ph.D. Armstrong Atlantic State University 841 Meriweather Drive Savannah, GA 31406-3267 352-0598 Judy Jennings Sierra Club 7609 LaRoche Avenue Savannah, GA 31406 352-0122 Kevin Farrell Georgia Environmental Protection Water Resources Management Program Division (EPD) Floyd Towers East, Suite 1166 205 Butler Street, S.E. Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 656-3103
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Water Supply Management Task Force Page 6 Member Representing Steve Liotta EPD - Coastal District 6555 Abercorn, Suite 130 Savannah, GA 31405 353-3225 Brian Baker EPD - Coastal District 6555 Abercorn, Suite 130 Savannah, GA 31405 353-3225 Mike Vaquer International Paper P.O. Box 570 Savannah, GA 31402 238-6333 Paul Thomas EMD Chemicals P.O. Box 1206 Savannah, GA 31402 Ben Brewton Coastal Environmental 231 Highway 204 Organization Pembroke, GA 31321 858-2356 Allen Cywin Chatham Environmental Forum 5 Longstreet Lane Savannah, GA 31411 598-8110 Helen Stone Chatham County Commission Chatham County Commission P.O. Box 8161 Savannah, Ga. 31402 Dale Thorpe Chatham Environmental Forum 102 East 46th Street Savannah, GA 31405 233-5530
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Water Supply Management Task Force Page 7 Member Representing Stanley Thomas Hunter Army Airfield Environmental & Natural Resources Division 1550 Frank Cochran Drive, Bldg 1137 Fort Stewart, GA 31314-4927 912-767-4139 Courtney Power Integrated Science and Engineering 7 East Congress Street, Suite 309 Savannah, GA 31401 238-9525 Lee Lively Savannah Electric and Power P.O. Box 4068 Company Port Wentworth, GA 31407 Frank McIntosh Georgia Land Trust 428 Bull Street, Suite 210 Savannah, GA 31401 231-0507 Tom Dolan Kerr-McGee Chemical 1 Kerr McGee Road Savannah, GA 31404 652-1124 Timothy Mackey MPC Board 1610 Elanor Street Savannah, GA. 31405 231-0777 Thomas Thomson MPC Director P.O. Box 8246 110 East State Street Savannah, GA 31412-8246 651-1446
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Water Supply Management Task Force Page 8 Member Representing Harmit Bedi MPC Staff P.O. Box 8246 110 East State Street Savannah, GA 31412-8246 651-1447 Dennis Hutton MPC Staff P.O. Box 8246 110 East State Street Savannah, GA 31412-8246 651-1455 Jackie Jackson MPC Staff P.O. Box 8246 110 East State Street Savannah, GA 31412-8246 651-1454
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GEORGIA COAST AL INCENTIVE GRANT 2016-2017 Cycle 19 CERTIFICATIONS FORM
On behalf of Chatham County- Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission
(Applicant)
and in support of Red Zone Water Managment Plan
(Project Name) I certify that:
(1) No person shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or physical or mental handicap for any program, activity, or facility sponsored, operated, or constructed under the grant project;
(2) All project activities will be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the mission, goals, and policies of the Georgia Coastal Management Program;
(3) Any user fees charged to the public for use or participation in any program, act1v1ty, or facility sponsored, operated, or constructed under the grant project will not be so large as to be exclusionary;
(4) Any facility or on-going service or program included as a component of this proposed project will be maintained as part of the community's infrastructure for a reasonable length of time after grant money is no longer available;
(5) No protected or endangered species or historic or cultural resource will be adversely impacted;
(6) All necessary local , state, and federal permits will be obtained before commencing work;
(7) Applicant will not hold the State of Georgia liable for any injuries or damage that may result from activities conducted under projects funded by Coastal Incentive Grants;
(8) Applicant (governmental organization) will comply with 2 CFR 200 Uniform Guidance: Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; and 48 CFR 31.2 (as applicable);
(9) Applicant (educational institution) will comply with 2 CFR 200 Uniform Guidance: Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; and 48 CFR 31.2 (as applicable);
(10) Applicant will comply with any other provisions of statuary law that apply to receiving funds;
(11) Applicant has reported all sources of funding for completing this project and certifies that completion is not dependent on future funding from another source;
(12) All other sources for funding for the project have been disclosed, and that Applicant will notify the Georgia Coastal Management Program of any awards of additional funding from other sources during the duration of this project; and
(13) Applicant will adhere to the reporting requirements outlined in the RFP and will submit required status reports in a timely manner, to the Georgia Coastal Management Program. Failure to comply with the reporting requirements of the Coastal Incentive Grant Program may result in revocation of the Applicant' s funding.
Thomas L. Thomson, P.E., AICP Executive Director
~j. ~ ____ C>_t_-_L_:_:_; __ __._I_~ __ _
Subscribed and affirmed before me this 80 day of ...)Q..Ol )0.~ , 20 J_(.o
Notary Public
JESSICA HAGAN My Commission expires: Notary Publlc. Chltham County GA
My Commission Expires July 19, 2017
CH A TH AM COUNT Y -S A VA NN A H
MJE1rROPOJLl[TAN l?LANNliNG C MMKS§JION
THOMAS L. THOM SON, P.E .. AICP EXECUT IVE D IRECTOR
April 12, 2012
110 EAST STATE STREET. PO. BOX 8246. SAVANNAH GEORGIA 3 1412 - 8246 PHONE 912-651-1440 FACSIMILE 912-65 1-1 480
FHW A Georgia Division Office ATTN: Veronica Johnson-Blanchard Sam Nunn Federal Center (SNAFC) RM 17T100 61 Forsyth Street Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Dear Ms. Johnson-Blanchard:
Please find enclosed two copies of the audited Financial Statements and Accountants Report for the year ended December 31, 2010 for the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission.
This agency is requesting approval of the 2010 fringe benefit and indirect cost rates shown on pages 35-37 of the Audit. In addition, we are requesting provisional fringe benefit rates for 2011 at 35 and 50 ercent, respectively.
The actual rate used in 2010 for indirect costs was 70 percent for the period of January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2010. The rate was decreased to 50 percent for July 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010 . The fringe benefit rate used in 2010 for fringe benefits was 3 0 percent.
Thank you for your continued assistance.
;i}U yoms, >(P--Melony~ Finance and Systems Director
Enclosure I
• \ I
12 Chatham County – Savannah MPC Red Zone Water Management Plan RFP 8/16/16
ATTACHMENT B
ATTACHMENT “B”
PROMISE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT Know All Men By These Presents, that I (We), ,
Name , Title Name of Bidder (herein after “Company”) in consideration of the privilege to bid/or propose on the following procurement (Executive Search Firm for Metropolitan Planning Commission), hereby consent, covenant and agree as follows:
1. No person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefit of or otherwise
discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin or gender in connection with the proposal submitted or the performance of the contract resulting therefrom;
2. That it is and shall be the policy of this Company to provide equal opportunity to all business
persons seeking to contract or otherwise interested with the Company, including those companies owned and controlled by racial minorities, and women;
3. In connection herewith, I (We) acknowledge and warrant that this Company has been made
aware of, understands and agrees to take affirmative action to provide minority and women owned companies with the maximum practicable opportunities to do business with this Company on this contract;
4. That the promises of non-discrimination as made and set forth herein shall be continuing
throughout the duration of this contract; 5. That the promises of non-discrimination as made and set forth herein shall be and are hereby
deemed to be made a part of and incorporated by reference in the contract which this Company may be awarded;
6. That the failure of this Company to satisfactorily discharge any of the promises of non-
discrimination as made and set forth above may constitute a material breach of contract entitling the County to declare the contract in default and to exercise appropriate remedies including but not limited to termination of the contract.
Signature Date
13 Chatham County – Savannah MPC Red Zone Water Management Plan RFP 8/16/16
ATTACHMENT C
ATTACHMENT C
Contractor Affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b)(1)
By executing this affidavit, the undersigned contractor verifies its compliance with O.C.G.A. § 13- 10-91, stating affirmatively that the individual, firm or corporation which is engaged in the physical performance of services has registered with, is authorized to use and uses the federal work authorization program commonly known as E-Verify, or any subsequent replacement program, in accordance with the applicable provisions and deadlines established in O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91. Furthermore, the undersigned contractor will continue to use the federal work authorization program throughout the contract period and the undersigned contractor will contract for the physical performance of services in satisfaction of such contract only with subcontractors who present an affidavit to the contractor with the information required by O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b). Contractor hereby attests that its federal work authorization user identification number and date of authorization are as follows:
Federal Work Authorization User Identification Number
Date of Authorization
Name of Contractor
Name of Project
Name of Public Employer
I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Executed on , , 20 in _(city), _(state).
Signature of Authorized Officer or Agent
Printed Name and Title of Authorized Officer or Agent
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN BEFORE ME ON THIS THE DAY OF ,20__.
NOTARY PUBLIC
My Commission Expires:
14 Chatham County – Savannah MPC Red Zone Water Management Plan RFP 8/16/16
ATTACHMENT D
ATTACHMENT D Minority and Women Business Enterprise Program M/WBE Participation Report
Name of Bidder:
Name of Project: Bid No:
M/WBE Firm Type of Work Contact Person/ Phone #
City, State % MBE or WBE
MBE Total _% WBE Total % M/WBE Combined _%
The undersigned should enter into a formal agreement with M/WBE Contractor identified herein for work listed in this schedule conditioned upon execution of contract with the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.
Signature_ Print
Phone ( ) Fax ( )
15 Chatham County – Savannah MPC Red Zone Water Management Plan RFP 8/16/16
ATTACHMENT E
ATTACHMENT E
AFFIDAVIT REGARDING LOBBYING Each Bidder/Proposer and all proposed team members and subcontractors must sign this affidavit and the Bidder/Proposer shall submit the affidavits with their proposal confirming that there has been no contact with public officials or management staff for the purpose of influencing award of the contract. Furthermore, each individual certifies that there will be no contact with any public official prior to contract award for the purpose of influencing contract award.
The undersigned further certifies that no team member or individual has been hired or placed on the team in order to influence award of the contract. All team members are performing a commercially useful function on the project.
Failure to provide signed affidavits from all team members with your response may be cause to consider your bid/proposal non-responsive.
BY: Authorized Officer or Agent Date
Title of Authorized Officer or Agent
Printed Name of Authorized Officer or Agent
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN BEFORE ME ON THIS THE DAY OF , 20_ .
Notary Public My Commission Expires:
My Commission expires:
Resident State: