Barnesville, GA · Lamar County
Barnesville, Georgia sewer and septic service, where the city owns the sewer and water that serve town and parts of Lamar County, and rural lots rely on septic.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Is Barnesville, GA on sewer or septic?
Barnesville has city sewer. The city owns the water and sewer that serve town and parts of unincorporated Lamar County, with treatment at its James A. King plant on Gordon Road. Rural tracts and scattered subdivisions beyond those lines use septic permitted by Lamar County Environmental Health. We fix sewer laterals and septic systems in both.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Barnesville story
From buggy works to a county's only sewer plant
Around 1900 Barnesville turned out something like 9,000 buggies a year, enough to earn the nickname Buggy Capital of the South. The factories are gone, but the compact town they built, with Gordon State College on one side and the rail line through the middle, is still the only place in Lamar County with a municipal sewage plant.↗↗
The city rebuilt that plant in 2013 when the old one reached about 30 years of age. The replacement cost $12.5 million and uses disc filters to keep phosphorus far below its limit before the water leaves for a tributary of Tobesofkee Creek.↗
The town also straddles the Eastern Continental Divide. Rain on the north side heads for the Towaliga and the Atlantic, and rain on the west side heads for the Flint and the Gulf, which is part of why sewer lines here run in several directions to reach the plant.↗
Local facts
Barnesville's water and sewer at a glance
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Customers and pipe | About 10,000 residents, businesses, institutions and industries; 180 miles of pipeline | City of Barnesville: Water & Sewer Department |
| Treatment plant | James A. King WWTF, 706 Gordon Road; up to 2.4 MGD; permit noticed for reissuance October 2025 | Georgia EPD Public Notice 2025-18ML (NPDES reissuance, GA0021041) |
| Drinking water | 6 MGD plant serving Barnesville, Milner and nearby Lamar; three tanks on Hog Mountain | City of Barnesville: Water Treatment Plant |
| Housing | Median home built 1973; 1,095 of 2,163 occupied homes rented | Census Reporter: Barnesville, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| History | Buggy Capital of the South, about 9,000 buggies a year around 1900 | Wikipedia: Barnesville, Georgia |
| Population | 6,292 (2020 Census) | Wikipedia: Barnesville, Georgia |
Sewer or septic?
Where Barnesville's lines stop
Lamar County's plan draft describes suburban neighborhoods around Barnesville and Milner that are connected to city water and sewer, and rural residential areas beyond them with lots of at least an acre, often five or more, where city service is limited.↗
It also notes that small subdivisions on individual septic systems have popped up all over the county. A 30204 mailing address therefore says little about which system a house has.↗
How to tell which one you have
- A city bill with a sewer charge means you are on the Gordon Road plant.
- A city water bill alone, with no sewer line, points to a septic tank.
- Lamar County Environmental Health on Academy Drive keeps septic permit records.
More about Barnesville
Leaky pipes the city is hunting
Barnesville's comprehensive plan is candid that groundwater and rain still sneak into its sewer. It calls for continued work finding infiltration and inflow, with money set aside for the northeast quadrant and a larger trunk-line rehab in the southeast.↗
Private laterals are a big share of that problem in any older town, and Barnesville's housing is old: the median home dates to 1973, and about half of households rent. A cracked lateral under an older porch-front house leaks both ways, letting sewage out and rainwater in.↗
- Barnesville's plan budgets $200,000 for northeast-quadrant infiltration and inflow repair and $750,000 for southeast sewer trunk line rehab.↗
Barnesville's comprehensive plan is candid that groundwater and rain still sneak into its sewer.
Services here
Barnesville jobs we handle
- 01Sewer Line RepairOlder in-town laterals feeding the Gordon Road plant.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Septic RepairTanks and fields on the rural tracts around town.Septic Repair details
Also available:Septic PumpingSeptic InstallationWater Line Repair & InstallationEmergency Septic & Sewer Service
On the map
Oxford to Barnesville
About 90 min / 60.8 mi by road from our Oxford shop
Down through Butts County and across to US 41 in Lamar.
Route sourceFAQ
Barnesville sewer and septic FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Who provides sewer in Barnesville?
The City of Barnesville Water & Sewer Department, which serves the city and parts of unincorporated Lamar County. City Hall is at 109 Forsyth Street, (770) 358-0181; after hours, call dispatch at (770) 358-1246.
Where is Barnesville's sewage treated?
At the James A. King Waste Water Treatment Facility on Gordon Road, which Georgia EPD says discharges up to 2.4 million gallons a day of treated wastewater. EPD noticed the plant's permit for reissuance in October 2025.
Source: Georgia EPD Public Notice 2025-18ML (NPDES reissuance, GA0021041)
Is all of Barnesville on city sewer?
Not all of the Barnesville area. The county plan says homes in the suburban ring are connected, but rural residential tracts have limited city service and scattered subdivisions use individual septic systems. Check your bill for a sewer charge.
Source: Lamar County Comprehensive Plan 2024-2044 (draft, Feb. 19, 2024)
Who issues septic permits for Barnesville addresses?
Lamar County Environmental Health, part of District 4 Public Health, at 100 Academy Drive in Barnesville. Call (770) 358-1483 and ask for extension 2.
Source: District 4 Public Health: Lamar County (Health Department and Environmental Health)
Why does the city worry about infiltration and inflow?
Rain and groundwater that leak into sewer pipes use up plant capacity. Barnesville's plan calls for continued I&I detection and funds repairs in the northeast quadrant and trunk-line rehab in the southeast.
Source: Barnesville & Aldora Joint Comprehensive Plan 2019-2039
How far are you from Barnesville?
About 90 minutes and 60.8 miles by road from our Oxford shop, based on routed directions. We book Barnesville jobs ahead and give a free estimate on site.
Sources
Where these facts come from
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
- 1City of Barnesville: Water & Sewer Department
- 2Lamar County Comprehensive Plan 2024-2044 (draft, Feb. 19, 2024)
- 3Wikipedia: Barnesville, Georgia
- 4EPA ECHO Clean Water Act facility search: Lamar County, GA (active permits)
- 5Xylem case study: disc filtration at Barnesville's wastewater plant
- 6Georgia EPD Public Notice 2025-18ML (NPDES reissuance, GA0021041)
- 7City of Barnesville: Water Treatment Plant
- 8Census Reporter: Barnesville, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 9Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 (On-Site Sewage Management Systems)
- 10Barnesville & Aldora Joint Comprehensive Plan 2019-2039
- 11District 4 Public Health: Lamar County (Health Department and Environmental Health)
- 12OSRM routing: Oxford, GA shop to Barnesville, GA
Ready when you are
Barnesville backup or soggy yard? Call before it spreads.
We check whether you are on city sewer or a tank, find the failure and give a free estimate before digging.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620