Quick answer
For water damage in Ellijay, GA, shut off your main valve first, or turn off the well pump breaker if you are on a private well. If Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority sends your bill and the leak is at the meter or in the road, call 706-276-2202, or 706-635-7929 after hours. Then call a water damage restoration company; drying should start within 24 to 48 hours, before mold sets in.
Do this first
After-hours water lines.
- Shut off the water. Close your main valve, or turn off the well pump breaker if you are on a private well. If Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority sends your bill and the leak is at the meter or in the road, call 706-276-2202 on weekdays or the water treatment plant at 706-635-7929 after hours.
- Make it safe and document it. Cut power to wet rooms from a dry spot, photograph the damage, then report the claim.
- Start drying within 24 to 48 hours. Basements dug into a hillside and crawlspaces stay damp longer than the rest of the house.
FEMA's flood map puts about 19% of the land inside Ellijay in the high-risk flood zone, mostly along Coosawattee River, Ellijay River, and Whitepath Creek. The map panels for this area took effect between 2010 and 2012. Check your own address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. Never cross a flooded creek or low-water bridge, and treat floodwater as contaminated.
What to know about water damage in Ellijay
20.7 ft
The record crest of the Coosawattee River near Ellijay, on March 29, 1951. Flooding starts at 8 feet. The river reached 17.63 feet in October 1964 and 17.33 feet in September 2004.
Source: National Water Prediction Service, Coosawattee River near Ellijay
Where two rivers meet
Ellijay sits where the Ellijay and Cartecay rivers join to form the Coosawattee, at about 1,280 feet. The Cartecay gauge near town reached 11.08 feet in December 2015, 4 feet over its flood stage.
Sources: Wikipedia, National Water Prediction Service
A near miss in November 2026
The heaviest rain on November 4 and 5 fell north of Ellijay, near Blue Ridge Dam, so its rivers stayed lower than McCaysville's. Gilmer County was still under the state of emergency.
Sources: FOX 5 Atlanta, GEMA/HS
65 damaged homes
After Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, 104 homeowners in ZIPs 30540 and 30536 registered for FEMA aid. Inspectors found damage at 65 homes, totaling about $561,279. Owners who did not apply are not counted.
Homes in 30540
The median home in ZIP 30540 was built in 2000; 17% were built before 1980 and 79% are owner-occupied. About 16% of homes here are mobile homes, where water can spread under the floor into the subfloor.
184 flood insurance claims
Since 1990, the National Flood Insurance Program has recorded 184 flood claims on buildings in ZIPs 30536 and 30540. The most came in 2004, with 60, from Tropical Storm Ivan. Of those, 47 were on buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zone. Buildings without flood insurance are not counted.
Source: FEMA NFIP claims data (OpenFEMA)
Check your ZIP
How often does Gilmer County get flash flood warnings?
The National Weather Service issued 36 flash flood warnings that included Gilmer County from 2016 through November 11, 2026, peaking at 12 in 2026. Each one means flooding is happening or about to happen.
Source: our count from the National Weather Service warning archive, Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
| Year | Warnings |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 12 |
Cost and insurance in Ellijay
How much does water damage restoration cost in Ellijay?
Most jobs run $450 to $16,000 (Angi). River and creek flooding needs a separate flood policy. Crawlspaces, basements built into a slope, and log walls take longer.
Other Gilmer County numbers
Septic backup
The Gilmer County Environmental Health office handles septic permits and failing systems: 706-635-6050. For a public health emergency after hours, the state line is 1-866-782-4584.
Emergency management
Gilmer County EMA posts storm and flood updates and coordinates shelters and road closures: 706-276-7246. Call 911 for anyone in danger.
Source: Gilmer County
Power outage
More than one utility serves Gilmer County, so call the one on your power bill. It depends on your address.
- Georgia Power: 888-891-0938
- Amicalola EMC: 706-253-0359 (Jasper), 706-276-0359 (Ellijay), 706-864-0359 (Dahlonega)
Sources: each utility's outage page; county list from Georgia 811
Water removal and restoration in Ellijay
The company that answers handles water from the Ellijay, Cartecay, or Coosawattee rivers, runoff off a mountain lot, or a pipe that froze in a cold snap, plus burst pipes, appliance leaks, drying, and septic backups.
Ellijay questions
Who do I call about a leak at the meter or in the road?
If Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority sends your bill, call 706-276-2202 on weekdays, or the water treatment plant at 706-635-7929 after hours. If you have no water bill, you are on a private well, so turn off the pump breaker and call a plumber.
How high do the rivers get in Ellijay?
The Coosawattee gauge near Ellijay starts minor flooding at 8 feet; its record is 20.7 feet, from March 1951. The Cartecay gauge starts at 7 feet and reached 11.08 feet in December 2015. Mountaintown Creek reached 10.03 feet that same week.
Which ZIP codes does this page cover?
ZIPs 30540 and 30536, including Ellijay, East Ellijay, and nearby parts of Gilmer County. For Cherry Log, see the Cherry Log page.
Related guides
Water damage in Cherry Log- Burst pipe, not frozen
- Sewage backup: what to do first
- Mold after water damage
- Mold remediation cost
- Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?
- How long water damage takes to dry
- Water in the crawl space
Local phone numbers checked November 2026: