All Resources

In 2008, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District acquired Felton's water system from a private, regulated water provider through condemnation. At the time, the system was well-run, operated and maintained by the provider with traditional oversight from the California Public Utilities Commission. Nearly two decades later, Felton’s story provides an opportunity to evaluate the long-term outcomes of that decision.

In Trust in Water polling data, 78% of respondents express a willingness to pay more for higher-quality outcomes, especially when investments are transparent, regulated, and paired with protections for affordability.

For more than 130 years, Granite City has received safe, clean, reliable water from a trusted private, regulated water and wastewater provider. Building on that longstanding relationship, the City transitioned both its wastewater collection system and wastewater treatment plant to that provider, creating a more integrated approach to wastewater service for residents and surrounding communities.

Safe, clean and reliable water and wastewater service is essential to public health, economic growth and vitality, and community well-being. Yet across the country, many small water and wastewater systems face increasing challenges in maintaining aging infrastructure, meeting evolving regulatory requirements and securing the technical expertise needed to operate effectively. As drinking water and wastewater requirements become more complex, these challenges are particularly significant for communities served by systems with fewer than 3,300 people, where limited resources can make long-term planning and investment more difficult.

As the early infrastructure pioneers of modern regulated water and wastewater utilities, private water and wastewater providers have helped communities over generations to achieve public health improvements, support growing populations and sustain economic development through innovation and technical expertise, capital investment and a commitment to reliability.

Wastewater infrastructure operates largely out of sight—but when systems fail, the consequences are immediate and measurable: untreated discharges, regulatory violations, degraded waterways, and risks to public health. Across the country, many communities face the same underlying pressures: aging infrastructure, increasingly stringent environmental requirements, and limited local resources to fund long-term system improvements. These case studies demonstrate how private, regulated wastewater providers across a diverse set of communities are consistently leading in wastewater system transformation—demonstrating that even long-standing wastewater challenges can be resolved through long-term investment and operational excellence.

Across West Virginia, communities are facing increasing pressure to maintain safe, reliable water service as aging infrastructure, limited resources and rising regulatory expectations strain smaller and distressed systems. Many local utilities are operating legacy systems with limited staffing, constrained rate bases and insufficient rates, making it difficult to fund critical upgrades, maintain compliance and keep pace with evolving treatment and monitoring requirements. For communities like Cedar Grove and Armstrong Public Service District, partnering with a private, regulated water provider has provided a practical path forward—bringing the capital, technical expertise and regulatory oversight needed to stabilize operations, modernize infrastructure and restore confidence in essential water service.

Municipalities across the United States are facing increasing infrastructure demands, fiscal pressure and competing capital priorities. The decision to transfer water and wastewater system ownership to a private, regulated provider is an opportunity to reinvest in the long-term wellbeing of the community. Communities have used this flexibility to enhance public safety, fund community services, and invest in redevelopment efforts that improve quality of life for residents.

In Trust in Water polling data, a strong majority of customers recognize the strengths of private, regulated water and wastewater providers.

When asked what matters most in tap water, customers are remarkably consistent. Learn more!