The ceremony was held at Sterling on the Lake on the Flowery Branch residential community’s Village Green, which is irrigated with reuse water from the new Spout Springs Water Reclamation Facility Reuse System.

The facility offers water at much cheaper rates than potable water by treating sewage with a small amount of chlorine, allowing it to be used safely for irrigation.

Recycling the water will not only be better for the environment but will become a source of revenue for the county.

Hall County Public Works Director Ken Rearden said the county will sell the water for 85 cents per 1,000 gallons. The facility treats 140,000 gallons of sewage a day, which could earn the county up to $3,500 a month.

System installation cost $126,587 and was paid for with Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax money.

Sterling on the Lake, the Spout Springs Library and the new schools under construction on Spout Springs Road already have committed to buying recycled water from the county.

Rearden said the county hopes to one day open the system up to individual homeowners.

"Conserving water is critical to the future of Hall County and this region, and this commission is dedicated to preserving that resource for future generations," said Tom Oliver, chairman of the Hall County Board of Commissioners.