Hyundai Metaplant fined $30,000 for wastewater violations
BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) was fined $30,000 for violating wastewater regulations in April, records show.
According to an enforcement order from the Environmental Protection Division (EPD), the plant was fined for discharging 'industrial wastewater to a publicly owned treatment works without an industrial pretreatment permit for such discharge.'
They also reportedly utilized a sewage holding tank at the facility for purposes other than construction trailers at a construction site, the order said.
By doing so, the EPD said they violated the Water Quality Control Act which regulates water quality, pollution and wastewater.
The plant must now submit a corrective action plan. They were also told to 'submit all required documents to EPD Industrial Permitting Program for final action by the Director regarding an industrial pretreatment permit for discharge to the North Bryan WRF; comply with requirements for pumping and hauling Non-Process Wastewater.'
A spokesperson for the Metaplant told WSAV in a statement that they 'has worked diligently with the GA-EPD on all aspects of our wastewater management issues and improvements' and that 'HMGMA has upgraded its wastewater treatment equipment and continues to work with the EPD to ensure compliance.'
Residents have expressed concerns regarding the plants water usage and disposal since the beginning.
Ogeechee Riverkeeper obtained documents through Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) requests, which revealed that HMGMA had been trucking wastewater off-site for a least four months in March.
The City of Savannah and HMGMA had a temporary agreement where the city will treat Hyundai's wastewater until the Bryan County Wastewater Treatment Plant is done being built later this year. According to City of Savannah officials, levels of PH, solids and metals in the plant's wastewater were too high.
'In September 2024, HMGMA began discharging wastewater to the City of Savannah. Less than one month after discharge began, HMGMA, as required by permit, notified the city that our discharge amounts exceeded the limit for zinc, copper and total conductivity,' a plant spokesperson told WSAV in March. 'HMGMA immediately stopped discharging and began a root cause analysis to determine the source.'
HMGMA said that they have now submitted a permit application to EPD to discharge wastewater to Bryan County, which is their long-term goal and that they have a draft permit in development.
The plant began production of consumer vehicles in October. They held their grand opening in late March.
You can read more about Hyundai's wastewater concerns here.
Read Hyundai's May 7 statement in its entirety here:
'HMGMA has worked diligently with the GA-EPD on all aspects of our wastewater management issues and improvements. HMGMA has upgraded its wastewater treatment equipment and continues to work with the EPD to ensure compliance.
In September 2024, HMGMA began discharging wastewater to the City of Savannah. Less than one month after discharge began, HMGMA, as required by permit, notified the City that our discharge amounts exceeded their limits. HMGMA immediately stopped discharging. HMGMA contracted with a specialized company to pump wastewater into tanker trucks and transport it off site to permitted facilities. We are working with EPD, Bryan County and the City of Savannah on the plans for future discharge.
Recently, HMGMA submitted its permit application to EPD to discharge wastewater to Bryan County, which is the long-term goal. The permit application with EPD is complete and the draft permit is in development.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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