Septic System Repair · Great Waters Reynolds
Septic repair for homes in the Great Waters section of Reynolds Lake Oconee, permitted through Putnam County Environmental Health in Eatonton.
- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off: military & first responders
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who handles septic repair in Great Waters at Reynolds?
Great Waters sits in Putnam County, so a septic repair there is permitted and inspected by Putnam County Environmental Health at 117 Putnam Drive in Eatonton. A Class Septic finds the failing part, from baffle or line to field, and fixes it under that permit. First, check that Piedmont sewer is not within 200 feet.↗↗
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Local facts
Great Waters septic, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| A 2001 house still on septic | A 2001 Great Waters home on 0.87 acre along Reynolds Drive was listed on a septic tank | MLS listing: Reynolds Dr home, Eatonton GA 31024 (RP - Great Waters) |
| And a 2005 one | A 2005 home on half an acre on Pine Bloom Way was listed with a community well and a septic tank | MLS listing: Pine Bloom Way home, Eatonton GA (RP - Great Waters) |
| Sewer nearby | A lakefront lot on Carolyn Drive in the same section was listed on public sewer | MLS listing: Carolyn Dr lakefront lot, Eatonton GA (Great Waters) |
| Repair permit office | Putnam County Environmental Health in Eatonton, part of the North Central Health District, at 117 Putnam Drive, Suite C | North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department |
| Phone, per the state's list | (706) 484-2914 on Georgia DPH's statewide environmental health directory | Georgia DPH: Environmental Health County Phone Numbers |
| The course the houses grew around | Jack Nicklaus' Great Waters course opened in 1992 with nine holes on the lake | Explore Georgia: Greene County visitor brochure (golf and lodging) |
The Great Waters Reynolds story
Why Great Waters repairs start with a sewer question
Great Waters filled in around the Nicklaus course through the 1990s and 2000s, and a lot of those homes went in on their own tanks. A house finished in 2001 has a tank and field past twenty years old, usually under beds and lawn that were planted on top of it and never disturbed since.↗↗
The twist is that Piedmont Water also lists Great Waters at Lake Oconee as a sewer community, and some streets here are tapped. Georgia's rule says a failing system must connect at once if sewer is available. A residential system under 2,000 gallons a day can be exempted when the repair meets the state manual and the county finds enough area and usable soil.↗↗
So the first call on a Great Waters failure is to find out what is in the street. If Piedmont has a line close by, the county may steer the house to a tap rather than a new field. If not, it is a Putnam repair permit and a repair designed to the lot.
On the record
- Under Georgia's rule, a failing on-site system must be connected immediately to public or community sewer when it is available, unless the residential exemption applies.↗
Warning signs
What a tired Great Waters system looks like
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. Toilets and the lowest drains slow at the same time
- 2. Gurgling in the plumbing when the washer empties
- 3. A sewage smell near the tank lids or on the downhill side of the house
- 4. A strip of greener, spongier lawn over the field lines
- 5. Damp ground or seepage on the slope between the house and the lake
- 6. Sewage backing into a basement or lower-level shower
Permits · Putnam County Environmental Health, North Central Health District, Eatonton
How a repair runs in Putnam County
- 01
Confirm with Piedmont whether a sewer line sits within 200 feet of the lot before designing anything.↗
- 02
If the tank has to be emptied to find the problem, a county-permitted septage hauler does it; haulers carry an annual permit number lettered on both truck doors.↗
- 03
Apply for the repair permit; repairs, replacements and additions all have to be permitted and inspected.↗
- 04
Make the repair: baffles, effluent filter, risers, the house-to-tank line, distribution box or field lines, whichever part failed.
- 05
Leave it open for the county inspection before backfilling.↗
More about Great Waters Reynolds
What keeps the next repair away
Georgia's manual is blunt that poor maintenance causes most system failures and that additives are no substitute for pumping. The North Central Health District, which covers Putnam, advises pumping every three to five years for a household of two to four on a 1,000-gallon tank and does not recommend additives either.↗↗
Part-time lake households are easier on a tank than full-time ones. The state table gives a 1,000-gallon tank about 5.9 years between pump-outs for two people living there year-round, and 2.6 years for four.↗
Georgia's manual is blunt that poor maintenance causes most system failures and that additives are no substitute for pumping.
What it costs
Published repair costs
Septic repair, typical
$627-$3,041 (average $1,828)
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Repair Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026
Baffle repair
$300-$900
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Repair Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026
Tank pumping
$292-$565 (average $428)
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Pumping Cost (updated Jun 17, 2026), 2026
What moves the price
These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620- 01Whether the trouble is in the tank, the line or the field
- 02Landscaping, walls or paths built over the system
- 03Access for a machine on a steep lake-side yard
- 04A required switch to Piedmont sewer instead of a field repair
FAQ
Great Waters septic repair questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Is my Great Waters house on septic or sewer?
It varies by street. Listings show septic tanks on Reynolds Drive and Pine Bloom Way and public sewer on Carolyn Drive. A Piedmont sewer bill, or a grinder pump panel on the house, means sewer.
Source: MLS listing: Carolyn Dr lakefront lot, Eatonton GA (Great Waters)
Who issues a septic repair permit in Great Waters?
Putnam County Environmental Health in Eatonton, not Greene County, even though the rest of Reynolds mostly carries Greensboro addresses.
Source: North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
Will the county make me hook up to Piedmont instead of repairing?
If sewer is available within 200 feet, it can. A residential system under 2,000 gallons a day may be exempted if the repair meets the manual and there is enough usable soil.
Does Putnam post a septic repair fee?
Not online. The North Central Health District publishes no Putnam septic fee schedule, so ask the Eatonton office when you apply.
Source: North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
Can a bacteria additive fix a slow Great Waters system?
No. The state manual says additives do not replace pumping, and the health district does not recommend them.
Do you work on the Piedmont grinder pumps in Great Waters?
No. Those belong to Piedmont's low-pressure sewer; Piedmont uses E/One pumps and offers repair on the ones it installed. We handle the septic side.
Source: Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
Nearby areas
Septic repair near Great Waters
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
- 1North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
- 2Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03, General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (LII)
- 3MLS listing: Reynolds Dr home, Eatonton GA 31024 (RP - Great Waters)
- 4MLS listing: Pine Bloom Way home, Eatonton GA (RP - Great Waters)
- 5MLS listing: Carolyn Dr lakefront lot, Eatonton GA (Great Waters)
- 6Georgia DPH: Environmental Health County Phone Numbers
- 7Explore Georgia: Greene County visitor brochure (golf and lodging)
- 8Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
- 9Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.11, Septage Removal and Disposal (LII)
- 10GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section L: Operation and Maintenance
- 11HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Repair Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026)
- 12HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Pumping Cost (updated Jun 17, 2026)
Ready when you are
Great Waters system acting up? Find the failed part first.
Call with the street and what you are seeing. We will help sort out septic versus sewer, locate the problem, and quote a repair under Putnam's permit.
(678) 863-5620- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off for military & first responders
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620