Check the Calendar to learn about the next Public Tour!

Tours are a great educational experience! Sign up as a class group to tour of one of our Public Utilities facilities.

JG Beacham Water Treatment Plant (DWTP)
The journey of your drinking water is an exciting trip.  Our dedicated staff closely monitor and care for your water as it moves through a step-by-step process to ensure clean, safe water reaches your faucet.    

We invite you to see this treatment process firsthand through a visit to our plant.  The tour takes approximately an hour and is appropriate for adults and children third grade and up. Let us know in advance if you have a special interest in a particular component of water treatment so we can tailor your experience to your interests. School trips are designed to meet the Georgia Standards of Excellence S3L2 and can include an additional water-related program.  Tours of the water laboratory within the Bob Snipes Water Resource Center are also available.

Contact Jackie Sherry to schedule a tour of the JG Beacham Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Bob Snipes Water Resource Center.

Water Reclamation Facility (WRF)
Our three water reclamation facilities use a biological treatment process to treat the collected water entering our facility.  The water you flush down the drain or toilet goes through a careful "reclaiming" process to bring the water back to its usable condition.  Take a tour and see how microorganisms are put into action to remove the organic materials and waste to reclaim our water resources for further use. 

Tours typically occur at the Cedar Creek WRF due to its smaller footprint and solar array display, though other facilities are available upon request.  The tour takes approximately an hour and fifteen minutes and is appropriate for adults and children fourth grade and up. Let us know in advance if you have a special interest in a particular component of water reclamation.  School trips are designed to meet the Georgia Standards of Excellence S4L1 and S5L4.  

Contact Jackie Sherry to schedule a tour of our water reclamation facilities.

Make it a Combo
Have a large school group or want to see more of what we have to offer? Tours can be scheduled to visit several Athens-Clarke County facilities.  Potential available Combo Tours include:

• Drinking Water & Reclamation Facility Tours:  See the water treatment process from start to end as you follow along the urban water cycle
• Drinking Water & Recycling Center:  Visit the DWTP & ACC Solid Waste's Recycling Center to see how we conserve & recycle our resources - S3L2
• WRF & Compost/Landfill:  Visit the WRF & ACC Solid Waste's Compost & Landfill to see how beneficial microorganisms are to Athens - S4L1, S5L4

Combo tours take around three hours.  Contact Jackie Sherry to learn more or to schedule a combo tour.

Why Visit a Public Utilities Facility?
We are proud to showcase the new technological advances in the treatment of water entering our distribution and collection systems. Those who visit a facility will:

• Gain an appreciation for and understanding of the processes used for treating our drinking water and collected water,
• Learn about water conservation strategies and devices to maintain wise water use practices, and
• Discover job opportunities in the water utility, an area that will always be in demand due to our need for water.
• See firsthand applications of what college students and grades K-12 are learning in the classroom.