A March 2001 survey (PWF, 2001) reported results from the 17 largest firms seeking water/wastewater privatization contracts in the United States (Table 1-4). Collectively, these companies reported they were paid $917 million in calendar year 2000 for operating 2,273 publicly owned facilities (most often treatment plants but also solids handling, pump stations, and other components) with an aggregate design flow of about 7 billion gallons per day. These fees for contract services were paid by 1,882 different municipal, state, and federal government clients (PWF, 2001).

Table 1-5 lists the values of a variety of investor-owned water companies, ranging from regional operators to multinational conglomerates. Any listing of water companies should be considered somewhat fluid, as the number of private water companies has changed significantly over the past five years through mergers and acquisitions (Table 1-6).

Deregulation and privatization trends in the airline, telecommunications, and energy industries have significantly influenced the water supply and wastewater treatment industry. However, based on data from the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), the actual proportion of water services provided by private water companies, whether measured by customers served or by volume of water handled, has remained relatively steady in the United States since World War II, and currently stands at roughly 14 percent (EPA, 1997).