Marietta Water buys treated water from the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, and its report doesn't list hardness, so a tap test should come before any softener. Chlorine taste calls for a carbon filter instead. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Marietta.
Marietta's water, briefly
Marietta Water, part of Marietta Power & Water, doesn't treat its own supply. It buys treated water from the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, which draws from the Chattahoochee River at the Quarles plant and Lake Allatoona at the Wyckoff plant. Marietta's report notes chlorine disinfection and added fluoride, but no hardness reading. Homes with a Marietta mailing address outside city limits may be on Cobb County Water System instead; your bill shows which.
The median Marietta home dates to 1987, and about a third were built before 1980, so older neighborhoods near the Square can have supply piping that adds its own color or sediment. The report also notes that Marietta Water handles lead service line removal while homeowners are responsible for lead materials in their own plumbing.
Which equipment does what
| Equipment | Good for | Not for |
|---|---|---|
| Salt-based softener | Scale from calcium and magnesium | Taste, odor or chlorine |
| Whole-house carbon | Chlorine taste and smell at every tap | Hardness |
| Sediment prefilter | Grit, rust flakes, particles | Dissolved minerals |
| Kitchen RO unit | Drinking and cooking water | Whole-house scale |
Signs worth checking out
- Spotty glassware and stiff laundry
- Crusty aerators that need soaking every few months
- Rust-colored water at the first draw in the morning
- An old softener that hasn't used salt in months
- A noticeable chlorine smell when filling the tub
Write down which of these you see and where. A plumber can usually tell from that list, plus a quick hardness reading, whether you are looking at a softener job, a filter job or a pipe and heater problem that treatment would only hide.
Timing notes
Treatment can be added at any time of year, but a water heater replacement or remodel is a natural moment, because the plumber is already working near the main. City of Marietta Building Inspections issues plumbing permits, and a plumber can confirm whether your installation needs one. If an existing setup includes a testable backflow preventer, Marietta Water requires it to be tested every year by a certified tester, with results reported to the utility. Salt for a softener is a recurring cost, so if the hardness test comes back low, a carbon filter or simply cleaning aerators may be all the treatment a Marietta house needs.
Water Softeners & Filtration questions in Marietta
Does my water utility publish a hardness number?
Will a whole-house carbon filter remove the chlorine taste?
Can a filter help with older galvanized or iron pipes?
Who owns the pipe where a whole-house unit goes?
More plumbing services in Marietta
Water Softeners & Filtration nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
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