Piedmont Water Company, a privately owned water and wastewater provider based in Eatonton, is one of the largest of its kind in the Southeast.
The company operates a water treatment plant at Lake Oconee, offering monthly public tours.
Each day, the treatment plant draws approximately two million gallons of surface water from the lake to treat and distribute to local customers. Recently, Piedmont Water started advertising its tours to increase awareness of the facility and its operations.
“About 24 hours after first advertising, we had folks reach out saying, ‘I’d like to come for a tour,’” Piedmont Communications Director Katie Strickland said. “So, we decided that we would just continue doing them every month.”
Since implementing tours last year, Piedmont Water Company has hosted tours for students from Lake Oconee Academy and the “Leadership Greene” group from the Greene County Chamber of Commerce.
According to Strickland, many of the site’s visitors were initially unaware of the plant and the work put into its treatment. She said the decision to implement tours allows the company to be “more transparent” to the community and customers regarding its operations.
“I think the tours call people to action to start paying more attention to the service in their home for their water,” Strickland said. “With the tours here, they can see that we’re working toward one day at a time, getting better, and improving our customer service reputation.”
The Piedmont Water Company tour enables participants to explore various aspects of the site, including the plant’s microbiology lab, the chemical building where surface water is introduced, and the treatment building where the water undergoes multiple stages of purification. Piedmont Water Company also features a clear well, where treated water is stored for distribution to customers.
Strickland noted the facility is the only private surface water treatment plant in the Greensboro area. The plant has been fully operational since 2022 and provides treated water to several communities, including Reynolds Lake Oconee, Del Webb, and The Landings.
“If there’s someone who’s not a Piedmont water customer and they’re just really into water or want to know what we’re doing here, we’ll absolutely allow them to come on a tour with us, too,” Strickland said. “But we have also made additions or put in more infrastructure, so when we put in more pipes in the ground, we can deliver surface water to more people.”
Piedmont Water Company expanded its Greensboro plant’s network in early 2025 in a public-private partnership with Greene County. The expansion, labeled as the Richland Connector Water Main Project, allows the company to distribute treated water to customers in the Walker Church water system.
Strickland said she hopes to see more citizens visit the site in the near future. She believes touring the plant will help them learn more about the treatment process and the company’s dedication.
“I just hope that they can feel welcomed and like they’ve learned something when they leave,” Strickland said. “They would learn a lot about how much Piedmont Water cares about the product that we produce and that every day, continuous improvement is at the forefront of our mind.”
Piedmont Water Company’s next available tour will take place Aug. 6, with more information available on the company’s website at piedmontwater.com.