County concludes Caesar Stone site is not a public nuisance after independent testing

Aaron Caler, county attorney, summarized the history and recent work at the former Caesar Stone property and the related Westwind acquisition discussions, saying the county and Richmond Hill launched a public nuisance investigation earlier this year after public allegations. Caler said a 2020 Phase II report prepared at Caesar Stone’s request concluded soils and water were within regulatory standards and that a 2025 Phase II by Westwind showed higher arsenic in a monitoring well that consultants later attributed to a poor, highly turbid sample.

Caler described a Feb. 2026 site inspection with EPD that found sealed metal and plastic drums stored in containers; he said EPD determined the drums were properly stored and Caesar Stone arranged removal by a licensed disposal firm and provided manifests. After the county required additional groundwater probes and an independent Atlanta‑based consultant tested soil and water, Caler said the independent expert’s findings aligned with EPD: “based on that groundwater testing and the soil testing…there is no public nuisance on the site. The site is not contaminated,” he told the board. The EPD did issue two administrative violations related to recordkeeping and prior notification, which Caler said Caesar Stone has closed with the agency.

Caler emphasized the difference between naturally occurring arsenic in coastal Georgia soils and an on‑site release, and said Westwind’s contentions were unsubstantiated. He said zoning and permit limits will still control future uses: data centers are not permitted in unincorporated Bryan County under the current Unified Development Ordinance and would require a formal ordinance change with public hearings. The county did not announce enforcement actions beyond the administrative violations already closed with EPD.