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 a full archive of past reports.
2025 water quality report
The annual summary of detected contaminants, how they compare with federal maximum limits, and details about your Lake Sinclair source water.
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 publish five. 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.
Ten steps to safe drinking water
- Raw water intake — a screened intake about 860 feet offshore draws from deep in Lake Sinclair.
- Pre-oxidation — a small oxidant dose removes 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, 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.
Unless a drought is declared, water any day 4 p.m.–10 a.m. The EPD recommends these odd/even days:
Drought response levels
- Level 1 Scheduled days, midnight–10 a.m. and 4 p.m.–midnight; hydrants for firefighting, public health, or flushing only.
- Level 2 Scheduled day, midnight–10 a.m.; no vehicle washing, pool filling, or ornamental use.
- Level 3 Scheduled day, midnight–10 a.m.; no pool filling, vehicle washing, or non-commercial car washes.
- Level 4 No outdoor use allowed except exemptions.
Exemptions: reuse of condensate, stormwater, or gray water; food gardens; new landscapes under 30 days; professional install and maintenance; and business-essential uses such as car washes. See the Georgia EPD for detailed rules.
Resources & FAQ
Reports, contacts, use guidelines, 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 source, so quality varies by season — heavy rain raises turbidity and temperature shifts trace minerals. 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. It is a physical barrier, not only chemical. More on treatment.
Is fluoride added?
Yes. Continuous fluoridation is required by our Georgia EPD permit and added during post-treatment 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.