Sinclair Water Authority
Water quality
Reports, treatment, water-use guidance, and answers about your drinking water.
Showing Consumer Confidence Reports, section 1 of 4.
Consumer Confidence Report
Your annual drinking-water quality report, plus reports from 2021 onward.
2025 water quality report
Detected contaminants, federal limits, and Lake Sinclair source-water details. Read the 2025 accessible text or review the report data notes.
Lead service lines
Inventory complete under the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions — none identified. Request the inventory.
Past reports (2021–2024)
The current 2025 report is above. Federal rule 40 CFR 141.155 requires at least three years of reports to stay available; we keep reports from 2021 onward online. For reports before 2021, contact our office, the Baldwin County Water Department, or the Eatonton-Putnam Water & Sewer Authority.
How we treat your water
From Lake Sinclair to your tap — the ten steps that make raw lake water safe.
Treatment process
- Raw water intake — a screened intake about 860 feet offshore draws from deep in Lake Sinclair.
- Pre-oxidation — a small oxidant dose helps remove naturally occurring iron, manganese, and organics.
- Transmission — four pumps move it three-quarters of a mile through a 24-inch main to the plant.
- Rapid mixing — an alum coagulant makes fine clay and sediment clump together.
- Flocculation — about 30 minutes in three basins builds the clumps into visible "floc."
- Sedimentation — two basins settle the floc by gravity; solids go to on-site lagoons.
- Straining — stainless-steel basket strainers catch any remaining debris.
- Membrane filtration — four ZeeWeed trains with 0.02-micron pores block bacteria, viruses, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium and are integrity-tested every 24 hours.
- Post-treatment — pH and corrosion control, fluoride, and chlorine for a lasting disinfectant residual.
- Storage & distribution — a 2-million-gallon clearwell feeds separate mains to Baldwin and Putnam.
Water restrictions
Outdoor watering schedule and Georgia drought response levels.
Georgia is under a statewide Level 1 Drought Response. Outdoor landscape watering remains allowed daily between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m.; Level 1 does not change that schedule. Please conserve water indoors and outdoors.
Drought response levels
- Level 1 Public conservation campaign; the daily 4 p.m.–10 a.m. landscape-watering schedule remains in effect.
- Level 2 Includes Level 1 and limits landscape watering to two days a week by odd/even address; several other outdoor uses are prohibited.
- Level 3 Includes Levels 1 and 2 and prohibits landscape watering used to maintain ground cover, trees, and shrubs, with limited activities allowed by rule.
Certain uses remain allowed at any time under Level 1, including food gardens, new plantings for 30 days, drip or soaker irrigation, hand-watering with an automatic cutoff, and irrigation-system maintenance. See Georgia EPD's current drought status and complete outdoor-use schedule.
Resources & FAQ
Trusted agencies and answers to common water-quality questions.
External resources
Water quality FAQ
Where does my water come from?
Lake Sinclair, a 15,330-acre reservoir on the Oconee River in Putnam County. Raw water is drawn from an intake about 860 feet offshore, in deep water.
Is my water safe to drink?
Yes. The plant operates under Georgia EPD permit CS2370087 and complies with the Georgia Safe Drinking Water Act of 1977 and all EPA standards. An annual Consumer Confidence Report summarizes what was detected the prior year.
Why is my water sometimes cloudy or off-tasting?
Lake Sinclair is a surface-water source, so quality varies by season — heavy rain can raise turbidity, and seasonal conditions can shift trace-mineral levels. Treatment handles this; contact us if taste or appearance seems unusual.
What is membrane filtration?
ZeeWeed ultrafiltration membranes with pores just 0.02 microns wide physically filter the water — too small for bacteria, viruses, Giardia, or Cryptosporidium to pass. The membranes provide a physical barrier; treatment does not rely only on chemicals. More on treatment.
Is fluoride added?
Yes. Fluoride is added continuously during post-treatment, as required by our Georgia EPD permit, to support dental health.
Does the water contain chlorine?
Yes, a small amount. Sodium hypochlorite is added after filtration; our permit requires a minimum free chlorine residual of 0.2 mg/L throughout the distribution system.
What is turbidity, and why does it matter?
Turbidity measures water clarity. Our filtration must keep it below 0.10 NTU in 95% or more of monthly readings; finished water is usually well below that.
How is the facility regulated?
It holds a Georgia EPD operating permit, a water-withdrawal permit, and an NPDES discharge permit for backwash. Monthly records are submitted to Georgia EPD, and the plant is subject to inspection and audit.
What happens to material removed in treatment?
Settled solids go to on-site lagoons and membrane backwash is managed on-site under NPDES permit GAG640000, which authorizes backwash discharge to Lake Sinclair within strict water-quality limits.
What is a Consumer Confidence Report?
An annual EPA-required summary listing every contaminant detected the prior year, how it compares to the federal maximum contaminant level (MCL), and where your water comes from. Published by July 1. Download the latest.