Floyd County, Georgia: drinking water report. Floyd County in northwest Georgia has about 98,000 residents, with Rome as the county seat.
Floyd County in northwest Georgia has about 98,000 residents, with Rome as the county seat. The Coosa, Etowah, and Oostanaula Rivers converge at Rome, providing the surface water source for the city's treatment plant. The county's mix of carpet manufacturing (nearby Dalton is the carpet capital of the world), poultry processing, and legacy industrial sites creates a diverse contamination environment.
The carpet industry upstream in Whitfield County discharges treated wastewater containing fluorochemicals – including PFAS-related compounds used in stain-resistant carpet treatments – into the Coosa River system. According to Georgia EPD's 2024 water quality assessment, trace levels of PFAS have been detected in the Coosa River at Rome's intake, likely from both carpet manufacturing and other industrial sources upstream.
Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Rome has documented AFFF use. A 2024 Georgia EPD investigation found PFOS at 8 ppt in monitoring wells near the airport. The former General Electric transformer plant in Rome contributed PCB contamination to a 60-acre area that remains under remediation.
Rome's river confluence location means your water carries inputs from three different watersheds. Treatment at the plant addresses regulated contaminants, but the variety of upstream sources means emerging compounds like PFAS deserve attention.
Check your water for the latest data. For the mix of industrial and military contaminants found in this area, reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap provides the broadest protection. Our water filter guide covers systems suited to treated river water. Pull your detailed report for trends, and visit our Georgia page for statewide data.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Floyd County, GA.
The EPA places Floyd County, GA in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
55% of homes in Floyd County, GA were built before 1980, and 16% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Floyd County, GA averages 8.8 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide