Piedmont rivers and the coastal aquifer
Atlanta, Columbus and the northern suburbs drink treated river and lake water from the Chattahoochee basin, which is so low in minerals that tanks there wear out their anodes long before they fill with grit. Augusta draws from the Savannah River and its canal, while Macon relies on the Ocmulgee. Savannah, Brunswick and much of the coastal plain pump from the Floridan Aquifer, whose harder water scales electric elements and can leave a rotten-egg odor in a tank's hot side.
State licenses, local permits and costs
Georgia's State Construction Industry Licensing Board certifies master and journeyman plumbers, and permits are issued city by city or county by county, with Atlanta's building office, Savannah, Augusta-Richmond County and the metro counties each running their own counters. Most part repairs across Georgia fall between $150 and $650, and replacing a standard 40- or 50-gallon tank tends to cost about $1,450 to $3,150; see water heater replacement.