The water industry provides

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...

and wastewater services (including

sewage treatment Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge to the surrounding en ...

) to residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of

the economy ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. Typically

public utilities 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 ...

operate

water supply network A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following: # A drainage basin (see water purification – sou ...

s. The

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

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 Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the mo ...

, 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 public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loc ...

- the most usual structure worldwide, public utility * 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 A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

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, 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 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 Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

beyond municipal or provincial borders. * Other separation (e.g.

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

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

Standards

Water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

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

Drinking Water Inspectorate The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is a section of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) set up to regulate the public water supply companies in England and Wales. Based in Whitehall, it produces an annual report showing ...

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 en ...

. * In the United States, drinking water standards for

public water system Public water system is a regulatory term used in the United States and Canada, referring to certain utilities and organizations providing drinking water. United States The US Safe Drinking Water Act and derivative legislation define "public wate ...

s are set by the

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

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

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. ...

control standards in conjunction with state environmental agencies, pursuant to the

Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...

. * 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 The UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, usually known as the Aarhus Convention, was signed on 25 June 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus. It entered into ...

principles. * International Standards ( ISO) 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 ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three business ...

(US), United Utilities (UK), Severn Trent (UK),

Thames Water Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is a large private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north W ...

(UK),

American Water Works Company American Water is an American public utility company that, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving a po ...

(US),

GE Water General Electric Company (GE) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York (state), New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated ...

(US), Kurita Water Industries ( Japan),

Nalco Water Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company, is an American Naperville, Illinois-based supplier of water, energy and air improvement solutions and services for industrial and institutional markets, owned by Ecolab. The company sells various products and servic ...

(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)