The water industry provides drinking water and wastewater services (including sewage treatment) to residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of the economy. Typically public utilities operate water supply networks. The

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

industry does not include manufacturers and suppliers of bottled water, which is part of the beverage production and belongs to the food sector. The water industry includes water engineering, operations, water and wastewater plant construction, equipment supply and specialist water treatment chemicals, among others. The water industry is at the service of other industries, e.g. of the food sector which produces beverages such as bottled water.

Organizational structure

There are a variety of organizational structures for the water industry, with countries usually having one dominant traditional structure, which usually changes only gradually over time.

Ownership of water infrastructure and operations

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

- the most usual structure worldwide,

public utility A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and ...

* national government - in many developing countries, especially smaller ones * private ownership - more common in the developed world, see for example Water privatisation in England and Wales * co-operative ownership and related NGO structures, public utility

Operations

* local government operating the system through a municipal department, municipal company, or inter-municipal company * local government outsources operations to

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The private sector employs most of the workfo ...

, i.e. private water operators * national government operations * private water operators owns the system ** BOTs - private sector building parts of a water system (such as a wastewater treatment plant) and operating it for an agreed period before transferring to

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...

ownership and operation. * cooperation and NGO operators

Functions

* Integrated water system (

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

, sewerage (sanitation) system, and wastewater treatment) * Separation by function (e.g. Dutch system where sewerage run by city, water supply by municipal or provincial companies, and water treatment by water boards), though some Water Supply Companies have merged beyond municipal or provincial borders. * Other separation (e.g.

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, separated into three companies for bulk water supply, water and wastewater network operations, and retail)

Standards

Water quality standards and environmental standards relating to wastewater are usually set by national bodies. * In England, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

. * In the United States, drinking water standards for public water systems are set by the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

(EPA) pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA issues

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of Body of water, water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and ...

control standards in conjunction with state environmental agencies, pursuant to the Clean Water Act. * For countries within the European Union, water-related European Union directives are important for water resource management and environmental and water quality standards. Key directives include the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive 1992 requiring most towns and cities to treat their wastewater to specified standards, and the Water Framework Directive 2000, which requires water resource plans based on river basins, including public participation based on Aarhus Convention principles. * International Standards (

ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...

) on water service management and assessment are under preparation within Technical Committee ISO/TC 224.

Global companies

Using available data only, and during 2009 - 2010, the ten largest water companies active globally were (largest first) : Veolia Environnement (France), Suez Environnement (France), ITT Corporation (US),

United Utilities United Utilities Group plc (UU) is the United Kingdom's largest listed water company. It was founded in 1995 as a result of the merger of North West Water and NORWEB. The group manages the regulated water and waste water network in North West En ...

(UK), Severn Trent (UK), Thames Water (UK), American Water Works Company (US), GE Water (US), Kurita Water Industries (Japan), Nalco Water (US).

References

External links

* Truth from the Tap "Water Industry Facts" http://truthfromthetap.com/water-industry-facts/ * Lowi, Alvin Jr
Avoiding the Grid: Technology and the Decentralization of Water

WaterWorld Magazine (see Water & Wastewater Industry Report e-newsletter)

Global Water Intelligence

Industrial WaterWorld

Water & Wastewater International

Water Procurement Portal

National Association of Clean Water Agencies

Industrial Doctorate Centre for the Water Sector
* {{Authority control Sewerage Hydrology Industries (economics)