Residents throughout the county typically may turn on the tap without thinking there is a staff somewhere in the area on call 24/7 to make sure water flows from the faucets. With 32 full-time employees always on call, Bartow's water department works continuously to provide top services to its customers.
"About 85 percent of our water comes out of Lake Allatoona," Water Department Superintendent Gene Camp said. "We have other sources too, the city of Adairsville and Polk County are on spring systems and we can buy from Cobb County as well."
The water department's budget ranks second highest among all county services at $16.8 million. However, that total combines different categories that were separated in the past and recently combined by auditors.
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