Established in 1987, the Barrow County Water and Sewerage Authority was created to serve the northwest portion of Barrow County with water supplied by Gwinnett. The authority today maintains three service areas supplied from the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority project at Bear Creek in Jackson County. More than 13,000 residents are served by the water department's retail water system. The water authority board is made up of six members, each representing a district and one at-large member. The water authority plans to move into a new facility, but a timetable has not been confirmed.