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Proposal would dedicate $501.7M to coastal surface‑water system and $250M to statewide water infrastructure program
Summary
GIFA asked the subcommittee to approve a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar package for a new Savannah‑region surface water intake, treatment plant and transmission lines and separately to continue a $250 million statewide water and wastewater infrastructure fund.
Hunter Hill, representing the Georgia Fund/Georgia Infrastructure Fund attached to the Department of Community Affairs, briefed the subcommittee on a large coastal water infrastructure request in the governor’s FY‑25 amended budget.
Mr. Hill described a multi‑jurisdictional proposal to increase surface‑water availability for Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties to address near‑term and projected water demands tied to industrial and residential growth. The governor’s proposal includes a $501.7 million package split by county: approximately $319 million for a new intake, treatment plant and transmission line for Effingham County; $146 million for intake improvements and expansion of existing treatment in Savannah; and $36.7 million for transmission lines in Bryan County. The presenter said the plan includes an initial 12‑million‑gallon‑per‑day treatment plant with room to expand to 24 million gallons per day and that the funding structure would be a mix of state grants and low‑interest Georgia Fund loans, with an estimated $532 million in grants and $269.2 million in loans across the proposal.
Mr. Hill emphasized drivers for the request: local groundwater permit limits and environmental constraints, near‑term demand (an estimated additional 6 million gallons per day in North Bryan/near Hyundai), and projected growth of 12–20 million gallons per day over 10–15 years. He said the state’s investment would protect aquifers and help local governments meet capacity needs without further over‑drawing groundwater.
Separately, the presenter noted a $250 million Georgia Fund Infrastructure Program line in the governor’s budget intended to serve other counties across the state for water and wastewater projects; he said the program has far more demand than available funds and cited a multi‑billion‑dollar pipeline of eligible projects. He said GIFA receives many requests annually and tries to prioritize smaller and disadvantaged communities when federal resources are constrained.
Ending: Committee members asked about program demand; Mr. Hill said federal matching and multi‑year draw schedules mean GIFA must balance program commitments and preserve funds for smaller jurisdictions, and he offered to provide additional project‑level details to committee staff.
