Water Softeners & Filtration in Austell, GA

Austell runs its own water system serving about 3,300 customers, bounded by Clay Road, the Douglas County line, Noses Creek and Buttermilk Creek. Much of the 30106 and 30168 ZIP area in unincorporated south Cobb is likely on Cobb County Water System instead, so check your bill. City water is bought wholesale from the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, from Allatoona Lake and the Chattahoochee River, and disinfected with free chlorine. The report doesn't state hardness. Housing has a median build year of 1993, with about 41% predating 1980.

What to do now

1. Confirm your water provider. The city system and Cobb County publish separate reports.
2. Test hardness. No figure is listed, so measure at a cold tap.
3. Handle taste with carbon. Free chlorine responds well to ordinary carbon.
4. Check older plumbing. With so many homes built before 1980, rust may be the pipes.
5. Get the right permit. Austell requires plumbing permits to install, alter or replace plumbing or water heating equipment, applied for through its online portal.

Symptom and likely cause

What affects cost

• Treatment alone versus treatment plus pipe or heater work
• Main line access and pipe type at the tie-in
• A drain and outlet nearby
• Permit for the job
• Ongoing salt and cartridges

The report links the lead service line inventory through Georgia EPD's 120Water portal; check it before buying a filter for a lead concern. Wastewater from the city's collection system flows to the Cobb County system for treatment. Austell also runs its own gas system, so if you smell gas during any work, leave first, then call 911 and Austell Gas at 770-948-1841 option 1 from outside.

In the older neighborhoods near the depot-town core, plan on the plumber checking the supply line before recommending equipment. Austell's history of flooding along Sweetwater Creek is one more reason to have the plumber look at the condition of older piping and the water heater in low-lying homes before adding anything new.