The Water Group

What The Water Group does

De Watergroep (Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Watervoorziening CV), operating in English as The Water Group, is the designated public drinking water utility for Flanders, Belgium. Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Brussels, the company produces and distributes drinking water to approximately 3.4 million residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers across 167 Flemish municipalities, drawing from more than 65 extraction and treatment locations. Its operations are governed by a regulated tariff framework (Tariff Plan 2025-2030) under Flemish government supervision, with the company owned by Flemish municipalities through a commanditaire vennootschap (limited partnership) structure.

The company's core technology stack combines physical water infrastructure (surface and groundwater treatment plants, storage basins, distribution pipe networks, central water softening installations) with digital services including digital smart meters with leak detection, an online customer portal (Klantenzone), digital invoicing via Doccle and Zoomit, and the CALLISTO AI initiative that uses Copernicus satellite imagery and hyperspectral ground sensors to predict water quality in storage basins. The company operates a BELAC- and VLAREL-accredited laboratory in Haasrode that analyzes nearly 500,000 water samples per year across more than 2.7 million parameters, and it runs the Riopact joint venture with Aquafin for municipal sewer management.

De Watergroep earns revenue primarily through regulated subscription tariffs for drinking water supply (fixed standing charge plus variable consumption-based charges), supplemented by managed wastewater services via Riopact, professional services for industrial customers (capacity measurements, Legionella management, water reuse via Aquadomo), and mandatory water and sewer inspection fees. Distribution is direct-to-customer through its owned pipe network and direct enterprise sales for industrial accounts. A future merger with fellow Flemish utility Farys, planned under the combined brand 'Waterunie', would consolidate the two largest Flemish water suppliers.

Name

The Water Group

Legal name

De Watergroep / Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Watervoorziening CV

Website

https://dewatergroep.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

De Watergroep is the designated public drinking water utility for Flanders, Belgium, producing and distributing tap water to 3.4 million residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers across 167 municipalities under a regulated tariff framework, and has a planned merger with Farys under the 'Waterunie' brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Third-Party Water Retailing & Managed Billing Services (outsourced billing, white-label retail operations) (EUANAIAL)

Keywords

• Drinking water supply
• Wastewater management
• Water utility services
• Industrial water solutions
• Water quality monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussel

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Drinking Water Supply: Core revenue stream from production and distribution of drinking water to 3.4 million customers across 167 municipalities in Flanders. Revenue is regulated under the tariff plan 2025-2030 with indexing adjustments.
2. Wastewater Management: Wastewater collection and management services through Riopact partnership with Aquafin, serving municipalities for sewer management.
3. Industrial Water Solutions: Customized water solutions for businesses including capacity measurements, water analysis, Legionella management, and project advice for internal installations.
4. Water and Sewer Inspections: Mandatory inspections of water installations, sewer connections, and private water drainage systems for new construction and renovations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

De Watergroep produces and distributes drinking water from more than 65 groundwater and surface-water production sites to 3.4 million residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers across 167 municipalities in Flanders, Belgium. The company additionally provides wastewater and sewer management services through its Riopact joint venture with Aquafin, and offers tailored industrial water solutions (Aquadomo) covering capacity measurements, water analysis, Legionella management, and project advice for businesses.

Product overview

De Watergroep operates as a public water utility offering an integrated water management platform with three core services: drinking water supply (providing reliable tap water to 3.4 million customers in 167 Flemish municipalities), wastewater management (including sewer inspections and the Riopact partnership with Aquafin), and industrial water solutions (customized water for businesses). The product portfolio includes core service offerings supplemented by digital tools such as the Digitale Watermeter (smart meter with leak detection), Klantenzone (online customer portal), and Mijn Drinkwater (water quality transparency tool). Additional services include water softening installations, inspection services (Keuringen), capacity measurements, leak compensation programs, and the CALLISTO AI-powered water quality monitoring system. The architecture combines physical water infrastructure with digital services for customer engagement and operational optimization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drinkwater (Drinking Water Supply) Core regulated service that produces, treats, and distributes drinking water from more than 65 groundwater and surface-water production sites to residential, commercial, and municipal customers across 167 municipalities in Flanders, Belgium. Billed under the tariff plan 2025-2030 with annual indexation.
• Afvalwater (Wastewater Management) Wastewater and sewer management services for cities and municipalities, including sewer connections, private sewer inspections, and integrated municipal sewer administration delivered through the Riopact partnership.
• Industriewater (Industrial Water / Aquadomo) Customized water solutions for businesses, including industrial water supply, water reuse, capacity measurements, water analysis, and Legionella risk management on internal water installations. Delivered via the Aquadomo sub-brand and a direct sales team.
• Riopact (Sewer Management Joint Venture with Aquafin) Joint venture between De Watergroep and Aquafin that delivers sewer management services to municipalities, including innovative projects such as using local ponds as adjustable water buffers.
• Digitale Watermeter (Digital Smart Watermeter) IoT-enabled smart water meter with remote reading capabilities, enabling consumption monitoring, leak detection via continuous-flow detection, and consumption data access through the online customer portal.
• Keuringen (Water and Sewer Inspections) Mandatory inspection services for new and renovated water installations, private sewerage systems, and second-circuit water systems, with quality control to prevent backflow into public networks.
• Waterontharding (Central Water Softening) Central water softening installations at production centers in West Flanders (Kooigem, Waarmaarde), East Flanders (Eeklo, Zele), Flemish Brabant (Leuven, Haasrode, Zoutleeuw), and Limburg (Bovelingen, Velm, Bilzen), with new installations planned for Nieuwerkerken (operational 2028) and additional regions.
• Capaciteitsmetingen (Water Supply Capacity Measurements) Water supply capacity measurement service for businesses and municipalities, including firefighting capability assessments. Results delivered as pressure-flow diagrams to advise on network capabilities and required investments.
• Tegemoetkoming bij Lekverlies (Water Leak Compensation Program) Financial compensation scheme for residential customers facing abnormal water consumption caused by hidden leaks, providing discounts of 75-95% on excess water usage under the program's specified conditions.
• Mijn Drinkwater (My Drinking Water Quality Transparency Tool) Online tool allowing customers to view the origin, composition, and quality parameters of their tap water — including PFAS levels — based on their service address.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 500,000 water samples tested annually on more than 2.7 million parameters
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CALLISTO Consortium (15 Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CALLISTO is a Horizon 2020 research project where De Watergroep works with 15 partners including Serco Italia, CERTH, Fraunhofer, BSC, InfAI, NOA, Deutsche Welle, RBINS, SMAT S.p.A., Nurogames, SATCHEN, DRAXIS, and Korea University to expand the use of Copernicus satellite data using artificial intelligence for water quality monitoring.
• Riopact (De Watergroep and Aquafin Joint Venture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiopact is a partnership between De Watergroep and Aquafin for sewer management services for municipalities. Nine new municipalities (Ledegem, Oostkamp, Wielsbeke, Sint-Laureins, Stekene, Haaltert, Zemst, Vilvoorde, Herent) joined Riopact in 2025. Riopact also manages innovative projects such as using a local pond in Kraainem as an adjustable water buffer.
• SMAT S.p.A. (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocietà Metropolitana Acque Torino S.p.A. from Turin, Italy, participates as end-user partner alongside De Watergroep in the CALLISTO project for water quality monitoring using satellite data and AI.
• Copernicus Programme / European UnioncoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Copernicus programme of the European Union provides free satellite data for earth observation, which De Watergroep uses in the CALLISTO project for water quality monitoring of storage basins.
• AquaFlandersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAquaFlanders is the industry organization for water and sewer inspections in Belgium, responsible for organizing inspections under their supervision.
• VlariominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVlario is the industry organization for sewer inspections in Belgium, handling sewer inspection complaints and quality assurance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pidpa: Pidpa is another Flemish drinking water utility serving municipalities in the Antwerp province. Directly comparable as a regulated Flemish water utility with municipal ownership, though smaller in scale than De Watergroep.
• Farys: Farys is the other major Flemish drinking water utility and the announced merger partner for De Watergroep under the future 'Waterunie' brand. Operates drinking water production and distribution across overlapping Flemish territories with comparable customer scale and municipal ownership structure.
• Aquafin: Aquafin is De Watergroep's joint venture partner in Riopact for municipal sewer management and Belgium's principal wastewater treatment operator. Comparable in scale and Flemish municipal focus, with overlapping customer base in Flanders.
• Hydria: Hydria is a major French public water utility serving the Paris region, formed through the merger of SEDIF and Eau de Paris. Provides a useful template for the De Watergroep-Farys 'Waterunie' consolidation and comparable scale (several million customers).

Regional players

• Waternet: Waternet is the Amsterdam-area water utility combining drinking water supply, wastewater treatment, and waterway management. Comparable integrated water cycle approach and regulated municipal utility structure, though serving a different Dutch region.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Eau: Veolia Eau is the world's largest private water services company, operating municipal water supply and wastewater treatment contracts across Europe including Belgium. Comparable in core regulated water utility operations, though operating at much greater scale and with private ownership.
• Thames Water: Thames Water is the UK's largest water and wastewater company serving 15 million customers across London and the Thames Valley. Comparable in regulated monopoly water utility operations, infrastructure investment requirements, and PFAS/quality compliance pressures.
• Severn Trent: Severn Trent is a UK listed regulated water and wastewater utility serving 4.5 million households. Comparable in regulated water utility scale, infrastructure-heavy operating model, and customer base size to De Watergroep.
• Suez Eau France: Suez operates water supply and wastewater services for municipal and industrial customers across Europe. Comparable scope across drinking water production, distribution, and wastewater treatment, with strong presence in Belgium and France.
• Vitens: Vitens is the largest drinking water company in the Netherlands, supplying 5.6 million customers. Closest geographic and structural peer as a regulated, large-scale Northern European drinking water utility with similar customer-acquisition and infrastructure model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@dewatergroepcommunicatie
• Facebookfacebook.com/dewatergroep/?fref=ts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dewatergroep
• Instagraminstagram.com/dewatergroep
• Xx.com/dewatergroep

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Water Group