Septic permits & records
Putnam County Environmental Health (North Central Health District)
- Address
- 117 Putnam Drive, Suite C, Eatonton, GA 31024
- Phone
- (706) 485-8591
- Hours
- Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Lake Oconee · Cuscowilla
Septic installation and repair, drain fields and lake-lot site work in Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee, Eatonton, Putnam County, Georgia.
Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee, on Lake Oconee · Putnam County. ZIP code 31024.
- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off: military & first responders
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Is Cuscowilla on sewer or septic?
Part of each. Piedmont Water lists Cuscowilla as a sewer community, and homes on Parkside Lane and Hawks Ridge list public sewer. But the lakefront lots on Covey Drive are sold 'Septic Required,' and a 2002 home on Indian Trail runs on a septic tank. A Class Septic Services designs around that split and does the lot work.↗↗↗
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
The Cuscowilla story
A Coore-Crenshaw course and a line down the middle
Cuscowilla sits on Lake Oconee's Putnam shore at 126 Cuscowilla Drive, Eatonton, about 70 miles east of Atlanta by the club's own count. It is best known for its golf: Bill Coore and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw built the course, and the club bills it as the only Coore-Crenshaw design in Georgia.↗
For anyone digging here, the more useful fact is a split down the middle of the community. The established interior streets are served by Piedmont's low-pressure sewer. The newest lakefront ground, the Covey Drive lots marketed as the last release of Cuscowilla lakefront, is not, and every house built on it will carry its own septic system.↗↗
That puts Cuscowilla's highest-value building lots on septic, on wooded ground that falls to the water, where the buyer is paying for the view. The system has to work, pass Putnam's inspection and disappear into the landscape.
On the record
- Cuscowilla's golf course is by Bill Coore and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, billed as the only Coore-Crenshaw design in Georgia.↗
Sewer or septic?
Cuscowilla street by street
Piedmont names Cuscowilla among the six communities where it has sewer, and describes most of its sewer as low-pressure, with a grinder pump at each building. A 2003 home on 0.43 acre on Parkside Lane and a 2012 home on Hawks Ridge both list public water and public sewer.↗↗↗
Then the exceptions. A 2002 home on 0.72 acre on Indian Trail lists a community well and a septic tank. And the 1.59-acre lakefront lot on Covey Drive lists its sewer as 'Septic Required,' with water from a community well that carries a tap-on fee.↗↗
So the community name tells you nothing on its own. Piedmont's advice is to check water and sewer separately and get the answer in writing, because a line in the street does not guarantee a given lot can tie in.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Start with the listing: 'Septic Required' and 'Septic Tank' both appear on Cuscowilla properties, as does 'Public Sewer.'
- Ask Putnam County Environmental Health for any permit on file for the parcel.
- Ask Piedmont for a written availability answer; vacant land goes to development@piedmontwater.com.
Local facts
Cuscowilla lots on the record
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Covey Drive lakefront lot | 1.59 acres, marketed as the last lakefront release; sewer 'Septic Required' | MLS listing: Covey Dr lakefront lot, Eatonton GA 31024 (Cuscowilla) |
| Covey Drive water | Community well with a tap-on fee; a full golf membership included with the lot | Same source as above |
| Parkside Lane | 2003 home, 0.43 acre: public water, public sewer | MLS listing: Parkside Ln home, Eatonton GA (Cuscowilla) |
| Indian Trail | 2002 home, 0.72 acre: community well, septic tank | MLS listing: Indian Trail home, Eatonton GA (Cuscowilla) |
| Hawks Ridge | 2012 home: public water, public sewer | MLS listing: Hawks Ridge home, Eatonton GA (Cuscowilla) |
| Soil at the community's center point | Davidson loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes, moderately eroded; somewhat limited for septic fields | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access (SSURGO GA604 Baldwin, Jones and Putnam): map unit and septic absorption rating at 33.4148, -83.2656 |
More about Cuscowilla
Putting a septic system on a Covey Drive lot
A lakefront Cuscowilla homesite gives up its waterside strip before the design starts. Georgia's lot-sizing rules leave out land within 50 feet of the lake, no absorption trench may sit closer than 50 feet to the normal water level, and the tank stays 25 feet back. The field also has to be 100 feet from any well, which matters on lots served by community wells.↗↗↗
Next comes the house. On most lakefront lots the best building site and the best soil are the same high ground, so the system ends up wherever the house is not: beside the drive, across the upper slope, or below the house with a pump tank lifting effluent back uphill. Where the slope runs past 25 percent, Georgia's manual rules out a conventional field unless a soil classifier's special study shows it can work; drip tubing laid along the contour is the common answer.↗
Depth to rock is the third test. A conventional trench needs 24 inches of suitable soil beneath it; an aerobic unit that treats to Class I effluent can cut that to 12 inches, which is often the difference between a buildable layout and a redesign.↗
A lakefront Cuscowilla homesite gives up its waterside strip before the design starts.
More about Cuscowilla
Clearing and grading on the Cuscowilla shoreline
Along the water, Georgia Power has the last word. Its Lake Oconee guidelines prohibit grubbing or recontouring in the 25-foot buffer and on its project land without written approval, and unauthorized clearing on an undeveloped lot can cost the owner a revegetation plan and lake-use permits. Trees removed for a house or septic system with approval get replaced one for one with natives.↗
Putnam's building setback from the lake is a separate number. A July 2024 Eatonton Messenger report quoted 65 feet, reduced from 100; confirm the current code with Putnam Planning and Development before the footprint is final. Debris from a summer clearing job gets chipped or hauled, because Putnam is on EPD's May-through-September open-burning ban.↗↗↗
Along the water, Georgia Power has the last word.
Soil & terrain
Davidson red clay under Cuscowilla
At the community's mapped center, the soil survey shows Davidson loam on 2 to 6 percent slopes, moderately eroded, rated somewhat limited for septic absorption because water moves slowly through it. Davidson is a deep, well-drained soil with a dark red clay subsoil. Clay like that smears if it is trenched wet, so we cut field lines on dry days.↗↗
Permits · Putnam County Environmental Health (North Central Health District), Eatonton
From Cuscowilla lot to approved system in Putnam
The Covey Drive lots and any septic repair in Cuscowilla run through Putnam's health department. We set the dig date around the permit and the inspector.
- 01
If the lot will use a private well rather than the community system, permit the well first so the field can be laid out 100 feet from it.↗
- 02
File the septic construction permit with Putnam Environmental Health; a complete application gets an answer within 20 days under state rule.↗
- 03
Clear only what the permit and Georgia Power allow, install within the permit's 12 months, and hold backfill until the county inspects.↗
Services here
What we build in Cuscowilla
Septic for the lots that need it, site work for every lot.
- 01Septic System InstallationNew systems on the 'Septic Required' Covey Drive lakefront.Septic System Installation details
- 02Drip Septic SystemsFields on lakefront slopes too steep for trenches.Drip Septic Systems details
- 03Aerobic Septic SystemsClass I pretreatment where rock is shallow.Aerobic Septic Systems details
- 04Septic Pump SystemsHouses sited below their only usable soil.Septic Pump Systems details
- 05Septic System RepairOlder septic homes like those on Indian Trail.Septic System Repair details
- 06Land & Lot ClearingSelective clearing outside Georgia Power's buffer.Land & Lot Clearing details
- 07Grading & Driveway PreparationDrives and pads on lots that drop to the lake.Grading & Driveway Preparation details
- 08Sewer Line Builds & TapsLine and trench work on the Piedmont side of the community.Sewer Line Builds & Taps details
Also available:Erosion ControlFrench DrainsWaterlines & Distribution
Local service pages
Our services in Cuscowilla
Who to call at the county
Who approves work in Cuscowilla
- Piedmont Water Company Low-pressure sewer on Cuscowilla's established streets800-248-7689; availability for vacant lots via development@piedmontwater.com.↗
- Georgia Power Lake Resources Office (East Georgia) Buffer, tree and shoreline approvals125 Wallace Dam Road NE, Eatonton.↗
- Putnam County Planning and Development Building permits and lake setbacksConfirm the current lake setback here.↗
Nearby areas
Neighbors along the Putnam shore
- Great Waters septic & sewerThe Putnam section of Reynolds, also mixed sewer and septic.
- Harmony Road septic & sewerOlder lake neighborhoods where Piedmont is expanding.
- Lake Oconee Parkway septic & sewerThe GA 44 corridor and its sewer service.
- Reynolds Lake Oconee septic & sewerThe large Greene County community across the line.
- Eatonton septic & sewerCounty seat and permit offices.
FAQ
Cuscowilla lot and septic questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Why is a Cuscowilla lakefront lot 'Septic Required' if Cuscowilla has sewer?
Piedmont's sewer serves the established sections, not every lot. The Covey Drive lakefront release was listed 'Septic Required,' so a house there needs its own permitted system.
Source: MLS listing: Covey Dr lakefront lot, Eatonton GA 31024 (Cuscowilla)
How far from the lake does the drain field have to be?
At least 50 feet from the lake's normal water level, with the tank at least 25 feet back. Georgia Power's buffer and Putnam's setback can push it farther.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
Can a septic system go on a steep lakefront slope?
Not a conventional field above 25 percent unless a soil classifier's special investigation shows the limit can be overcome. Drip or pumped systems are typical alternatives.
Source: GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section B: General Site Provisions
Where does water come from on Covey Drive?
The listing shows a community well with a tap-on fee. The drain field must stay 100 feet from any well.
Source: MLS listing: Covey Dr lakefront lot, Eatonton GA 31024 (Cuscowilla)
Who issues septic permits for Cuscowilla?
Putnam County Environmental Health, at the county health department on Putnam Drive in Eatonton, (706) 485-8591.
Source: North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
Can we burn the brush from clearing a Cuscowilla lot?
Not from May 1 to September 30; Putnam is on EPD's summer open-burning ban, so debris is chipped or hauled in those months.
Source: GA EPD press release, Apr. 29, 2026: Annual Ban on Open Burning (county list)
My Cuscowilla home is on sewer. Who services the grinder pump?
Piedmont says the pump is the homeowner's property and offers repair on pumps it installs. Call Piedmont about the pump; we do the line, drainage and grading work around it.
Guides
Reading for Cuscowilla buyers and builders
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 A Class Septic Services · Last updated
- 1Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
- 2MLS listing: Covey Dr lakefront lot, Eatonton GA 31024 (Cuscowilla)
- 3MLS listing: Indian Trail home, Eatonton GA (Cuscowilla)
- 4Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee (official site)
- 5MLS listing: Hawks Ridge home, Eatonton GA (Cuscowilla)
- 6MLS listing: Parkside Ln home, Eatonton GA (Cuscowilla)
- 7Piedmont Water: Public Education with Piedmont, Grinder Pumps and Coffee (Oct 2026)
- 8Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03, General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (LII)
- 9USDA NRCS Soil Data Access (SSURGO GA604 Baldwin, Jones and Putnam): map unit and septic absorption rating at 33.4148, -83.2656
- 10GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section M: Lot Sizing
- 11Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
- 12Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.05, Septic Tanks (LII)
- 13GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section B: General Site Provisions
- 14GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section F: Dispersal Systems
- 15Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines
- 16Eatonton Messenger, July 3, 2024: Putnam BOC changes to setback ordinance
- 17Putnam County, GA: Planning and Development
- 18GA EPD press release, Apr. 29, 2026: Annual Ban on Open Burning (county list)
- 19USDA NRCS Official Series Description: Davidson series
- 20North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
- 21Georgia Power: East Georgia Lakes (Oconee/Sinclair)
- 22Piedmont Water Company: Grinder Pumps
Ready when you are
Bought on Covey Drive? Let's fit the septic before the house plans freeze.
Call A Class Septic Services about a septic system, a repair, or the clearing, grading and drainage on a Cuscowilla lot. Military and first responders get 10% off.
(678) 863-5620- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off for military & first responders
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620