Full Reports

Water Heist: How Corporations Are Cashing In On California's Water

2003-04-05

Through deals shrouded from public scrutiny, private and semi-private entities have taken control of some of California's most vital water resources. "Water Heist: How Corporations Are Cashing In On California's Water" shows how the private control of water has enriched and empowered a few, to the detriment of the environment and consumers throughout California.

Liquid Assets

2002-04-04

"Liquid Assets: Enron's Dip into Water Business Highlights Pitfalls of Privatization" demonstrates how Enron’s brief tenure in the water business highlights the many risks of water privatization: poor contract performance, political corruption and influence peddling, environmental violations, prospects of water commodification, and uncertainty about the financial stability of private contractors.

Two for the Road

2006-04-04

"Two for the Road: An Update of the Companies Vying for Control of New Orleans' Water" examines recent developments connected to the two corporate finalists being considered by the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board: USFilter and United Water.

Profit Streams: World Bank and Greedy Global Water Companies

2006-04-04

Addresses a dangerous new frontier where the World Bank’s privatization and liberalization policies are encroaching: water. The World Bank, in alliance with the global water companies, is advocating a new power grab to place a natural resource under the command of multinational corporations and market-oriented policies.

Reclaiming Public Assets

2006-04-04

"Reclaiming Public Assets: From Private to Public Ownership of Waterworks" documents six case studies of cities that have either purchased waterworks from a private company or are currently pursuing a buyout. From Lexington, KY to Peoria, IL, strong evidence suggests that water utilities should be kept in the public trust and not treated as a commodity by private investors.

Public-Public Partnerships

2006-04-04

"Public-Public Partnerships: A Backgrounder on Successful Water/Wastewater Re-engineering Programs" features four case studies of U.S. cities that kept ownership in public hands by reorganizing the operation and management of their own system successfully in order to save money, reward employees, and enhance services.

Double Trouble: Thames Water and OMI

2006-04-04

"Double Trouble: Thames Water and OMI –– Two companies Stockton Could do Without" details the history of the two companies, British-owned Thames Water and Colorado-based OMI that are partnering to control Stockton, California's water system.

Water Privatization Fiascoes: Broken Promises and Social Turmoil

2006-04-04

"Water Privatization Fiascoes: Broken Promises and Social Turmoil" features seven case studies of failed water privatization efforts around the world, including Nelspruit, South Africa; Atlanta, Georgia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Manila, Philippines; Cochabamba, Bolivia; Jakarta, Indonesia; and the United Kingdom.

Will the World Bank Back Down?

2006-04-04

A review of World Bank lending from 2000 through 2004 reveals that while the Bank’s public relations rhetoric has changed in the face of increasing global resistance to privatized water services, its loan policies in the water sector have not changed at all.

Bechtel's Dry Run: Iraqis Suffer Water Crisis

2004-04-04

Describes how Bechtel Group Inc., one of the lead contractors in the reconstruction of Iraq, has failed its contractual mandate to develop essential water delivery and sewage disposal.

Water for People and Place

2005-11-01

Calls on the governor and state legislature to reallocate water based on need, not price. "Water for People and Place: Moving Beyond Markets in California Water Policy" recommends banning all for-profit water sales between private entities and establishing a statewide task force to study water use in California to identify urgent drinking water needs in rural parts of the state as well as wasteful water practices.

Bechtel: Profiting from Destruction

2003-06-01

Documentation of some of the worst corporate abuses by the privately owned Bechtel corporation, and how the Bechtel group wields influence in Washington, DC.

Biwater

2003-01-12

How British Biwater cashed in on Margaret Thatcher’s privatization in the U.K. and launched into controversial water projects around the world.

SAUR

2003-07-10

French SAUR has silently created a small water empire in France and French speaking West Africa through decades of exploiting French colonial and post-colonial policies.

Veolia Environnement

2005-02-13

Veolia Environnement is the world’s largest water company. Its water and wastewater unit serves over 110 million customers in 84 countries. But the company seeking to privatize our water has run into trouble, including bribery convictions, class actions suits and the collapse of stock prices.

Faulty Pipes

2008-09-01

Why Public Funding - Not Privatization - is the Answer for U.S. Water Systems. From maintenance problems in Atlanta and sewage spills in Milwaukee, to corruption in New Orleans and political meddling in Lexington, the recent history of water privatization in the U.S. is marred by underachievement and failure. Faulty Pipes chronicles these stories, explains why privatization has failed, and advocates a national water trust fund as a solution.

Challenging Corporate Investor Rule

2007-04-30

Corporations reap more protection and greater power from various trade and investment agreements, measures and rules. The World Bank promotes them, governing bodies turn the agreements into law, and international arbitration tribunals enforce the corporate friendly rules. “Challenging Corporate Investor Rule” exposes how these trade and investment agreements work against consumers’ interests, and how they undermine environmental and social safeguards.

Going Thirsty

2007-04-30

Going Thirsty profiles Latin American water projects bankrolled by the IDB. The report documents how the IDB consistently requires privatization of water utilities without considering restructuring and rehabilitating the public water utilities, repeatedly provides funds that enable multinational corporations with a history of failing to meet the environmental and public health needs of the local population assume control of local supplies, and has prolonged water conflicts by bailing out failing World Bank projects.

Take Back the Tap

2007-06-28

Report: "Take Back the Tap: Why Choosing Tap Water over Bottled Water is Better for Your Health, Your Pocketbook, and the Environment", will educate consumers about the various problems with bottled water and why they should switch to tap water. This report will also illustrate the importance of supporting local water utilities through increased federal funding.

All Dried Up: How Clean Water is Threatened by Budget Cuts

2004-09-22

Water quality is a key component of environmental health. But public well-being and economic growth also depend on clean water. "All Dried Up: How Clean Water is Threatened by Budget Cuts" discusses the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF), a federal loan program that finances local water infrastructure projects, is a vital tool that communities use to meet their clean water needs.

The Case for a Clean Water Trust Fund

2007-08-10

Clean, healthy, affordable water is something every American should be able to rely on. But as the nation’s population grows and its infrastructure ages, our public clean water systems are facing some grim realities. The Case for a Clean Water Trust Fund: New Realities, New Solutions discusses our need to plan ahead for future generations and create a dedicated source of public funding so that communities across America can keep their water clean, safe, and affordable.

Clear Waters

2007-10-02

When a resource is as basic as clean water, it can be easy to take for granted. But while steady access to clean water is a cornerstone of modern society, its future is far from secure. "Clear Waters: Why America Needs a Clean Water Trust Fund" will examine trends in clean water spending on a state-by-state level, pointing out the need for urgent action while explaining the benefits that could be achieved through the establishment of a clean water trust fund.

Costly Returns

2008-06-20

Costly Returns: How Corporations Could Profit from Inflating the Already High Cost of Repairing the Nation’s Crumbling Water and Sewer Infrastructure

Biwater Factsheet

Biwater Threatens Community Access and Fails to Sell Investors

Aqua America

2008-10-14

Aqua America is the second largest publicly traded water and wastewater corporation based in the United States. It has pushed its way to the top through a strategy of aggressive acquisitions and drastic rate increases. Aiming to make several dozen acquisitions a year, the company targets smaller systems to avoid a citizenry armed with resources to fight the takeover. And it pursues systems in states that have fast growing populations, corporate friendly regulatory environments and considerable investment needs. Of course, all of this is done with an eye toward its bottom line.

American Water

2008-12-01

RWE’s short, uneasy U.S. experiment is a cautionary tale for all concerned — water companies, regulators, elected officials and citizens alike. The American Water experience raises the question: Should a resource so essential to life be controlled by multinational, for-profit corporations, or safeguarded by the public with strong local oversight and accountability measures?

All Bottled Up: Nestlé’s Pursuit of Community Water

2009-01-12

Inside Food & Water Watch's report, All Bottled Up: Nestlé’s Pursuit of Community Water, find information about: Nestlé, profits, groundwater, purity, health and safety, Arrowhead, PureLife, Calistoga, Deer Park, Zephyrhills, Poland Spring, Ozarka, Perrier; Wells, Maine; McCloud, California; the Dells, Wisconsin; Shapleigh, Maine; aquifer; Mary Taylor; Jamilla El-Shafei; plastic bottles, plastic pollution, trash, landfills, toxic gas and ash

Desalination: An Ocean of Problems

2009-02-03

As local, state and federal governments in the United States increasingly fear drought and water shortages, private corporations are marketing ocean desalination as the solution. They promise that reverse osmosis technology can turn the ocean into a reliable source of drinking water by removing the salt from seawater. While they offer their product for two to four times the cost of other water sources, they fail to advertise the toxic chemicals, marine life damage, carbon emissions and other social and environmental ills that come along with it.

Money Down the Drain

2009-02-24

Greedy multinational corporations are after your water. If you don’t stop them, it could cost you a lot of money. Privateers may be creeping around your town hall. Your town is sitting on a gold mine: your water supply. Corporate executives know this and may be trying to weasel control of YOUR water from your city or town.

Dried Up, Sold Out

2009-03-10

Dried Up, Sold Out: How the World Bank’s Push for Private Water Harms the Poor – Most people in the United States are accustomed to turning on the faucet and seeing safe and healthful water stream forth. But take a trip into the developing world, and one often finds that the tap is dry. Indeed, literally billions of people in developing countries have no access to water and sewer services. And for those who do, the quality ranges from poor to downright dangerous.

Water Privatization Threatens Workers, Consumers and Local Economies

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Water Privatization Threatens Workers, Consumers and Local Economies

2009-05-19

Our country’s good public operators have kept water safe and affordable for most households, but despite their successes, they are coming under attack.

Unmeasured Danger: America’s Hidden Groundwater Crisis

2009-07-21

Farmers in the western United States are drilling ever deeper to water their crops. Mainers are concerned with lowered water levels in their wells when water bottlers come to town. Arizonans see the Santa Cruz River withering away. In communities around the country, these citizens are all seeing the effects of a decline in one of our most crucial but least understood natural resources: groundwater.

Mortgaging Milwaukee’s Future

2009-11-04

The City of Milwaukee faces a serious fiscal predicament. Its budget deficit could top $100 million by 2010, and laws restrict its ability to raise taxes to help offset the shortfall. In 2008, with this conundrum in mind, a public official proposed leasing the Milwaukee Water Works to generate a new revenue source. The city needs an alternative to service cuts and fee hikes, but water privatization is an inadequate and possibly expensive option.