Bullock County and regional partners announced that the Groundwater Sustainability Program (GSP) hotline and website are now live and that outreach and registration are underway.

Ron Nelson, engineering chairman for the program, told commissioners the hotline number is 1-888-353-8020 and the program website is brianbullockgsp.org. Nelson said staff are preparing a request for proposals to bring on well drillers and plan to publicly advertise that RFP next Thursday.

Nelson provided counts from the county’s initial outreach: 1,039 parcels in Bullock County were mailed letters, 27 letters were returned as undeliverable, 76 property owners responded and registered wells, and the hotline had produced 25 calls to date. He said nine people registered wells during a public workshop held the previous week, which about 45 people attended. The GSP advisory committee also met and hosted a public workshop; the committee meeting was live-streamed and had public participation.

On how residents should register wells, Nelson said callers may leave a message on the hotline and staff will receive a transcription by email and follow up. “You can register your well just based off of the location of the well even if you don't know the depth or how big the pipe is,” he said, noting that well owners can update details later if they obtain additional information.

Why this matters: The GSP is collecting well locations and basic information to inform regional groundwater planning and to reach potentially affected property owners. County staff emphasized that initial registration does not require complete technical details and that the program will continue outreach to address undeliverable mail and other gaps.

What’s next: Staff expect to advertise the drilling services RFP next week and will continue to accept well registrations via the hotline and website.