Athens
Athens, GA water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
athens-clarke co water system
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID GA0590000
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Athens is a mid-sized city and the 4th-largest in Georgia, home to roughly 116,714 residents. Athens's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Georgia: Chattahoochee River, Lake Lanier, and Floridan aquifer.
As elsewhere in Georgia, the central challenge is drought. Decades of 'water wars' litigation with Alabama and Florida over the Chattahoochee shape metro Atlanta's supply planning.
Georgia reuses an estimated 11% of its treated wastewater and maintains developing reuse programs; Athens tracks severe to extreme drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Georgia profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Athens below.
Clarke County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~116,714 (4th-largest in Georgia)
- Primary sources: Chattahoochee River, Lake Lanier, and Floridan aquifer
- Drought: severe to extreme conditions
- State reuse rate: ~11% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of Georgia in severe+ drought (Extreme (D3) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Athens?
Athens's largest water system, ATHENS-CLARKE CO WATER SYSTEM, serves about 125,000 people. EPA records show 3 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 3.5 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Athens get its water?
ATHENS-CLARKE CO WATER SYSTEM draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Georgia's supply from Chattahoochee River, Lake Lanier, Floridan aquifer.
Related water issues
Drought
Much of the American West is in a multi-decade dry period that researchers describe as the most severe in over a millennium, reshaping how communities plan for water.
ExploreAgricultural Demand
Agriculture accounts for the majority of consumptive water use in the West, making farm efficiency and water markets central to any supply solution.
ExploreAging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
Explore