A geothermal heat pump was installed in the Athens-Clarke County's Animal Services facility in 2017 as part of SPLOST 2011 Project 19, a project that expanded the original facility to better serve the animals and those interested in adoption. 

Geothermal heat pumps, or ground source heat pumps, are used to heat and cool buildings using naturally-existing heat from within the earth rather than through the use of fossil fuel combustion methods.