Water industry

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 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 – 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 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 own 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, sewerage (sanitation) system, and wastewater treatment)

Separation by function (e.g.