ABSTRACT
Few things are as vital to a nation's growth and development as the provision of water and wastewater services. This chapter surveys the role of the private and public sectors in meeting America's water supply and wastewater treatment needs, including contemporary corporate involvement in these systems, particularly through public-private partnerships. Private water companies are not a new concept in the United States. Private firms have supplied water to US consumers since 1652 when the Water Works Company of Boston was chartered. Beyond emptying waste, private individuals and firms played a role in the development of America's wastewater systems, building sewers, often for one street, with private capital. Public and private ownership statistics provide only part of the picture with respect to how Americans receive their water supplies and have their wastewater treated. Federal water-related regulation grew, spurred by public demands for tough action to deal with human health problems.
