Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

What Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission does

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, operating as WSSC Water, is a bi-county public utility agency of the State of Maryland established in 1918 to provide water supply, wastewater collection and treatment, and ancillary services to Montgomery and Prince George's counties. It serves more than 1.9 million residents across an exclusive franchise area, with some exceptions (Bowie, Rockville, and Poolesville), managing more than 5,800 miles of water mains, 46,700+ fire hydrants, and six water resource recovery facilities. The agency also operates an EPA-approved Industrial Discharge Control program that has been nationally recognized as an 'Outstanding Pretreatment Program' since 1983, regulating significant industrial users and supporting environmental compliance across the service area.

The core service portfolio spans water distribution (potable water delivery through the trunk and distribution network), wastewater management (collection plus treatment at six permitted facilities, each licensed by the Maryland Department of the Environment), laboratory water-quality testing, fire hydrant maintenance, meter installation and reading, permits and development services, and an Environmental Stewardship (ES2) program. WSSC operates two digital channels: my.wsscwater.com for billing and account management and a mobile app for problem reporting and service alerts, alongside an ePermitting portal for developers and industrial users. The Piscataway Bioenergy Project, opened in October 2024 at a cost of $271 million, converts methane from biosolids into renewable natural gas used by Montgomery County's bus system, and the facility plans to classify residuals as Class A biosolids for commercial sale.

Revenue is generated through a regulated rate structure: recurring water and sewer service charges to residential, commercial, industrial, and government customers; industrial discharge control permit and annual program fees (FY2027 SIU initial permit: $11,785 for a 4-year term; annual program fees ranging from $2,675 to $15,180 depending on category); front-foot benefit charges on new development; transaction-based permit and development fees; and usage-based fire hydrant meter leasing ($11.20 per 1,000 gallons in water charges, plus deposits and service fees). The utility is governed by commissioners from each county, with Jonathan W. Powell elected as Commission Chair for fiscal year 2027; the agency has never recorded a drinking water quality violation in more than 108 years of operation.

Name

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Legal name

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Website

https://wsscwater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is a bi-county Maryland public utility that provides water supply and wastewater services to more than 1.9 million residents across Montgomery and Prince George's counties through 5,800+ miles of water mains and six resource recovery facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utilities

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Utilities (22)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) (EUANADAA), Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH), Water & Utility Testing (PW/WFI/Steam/Gases) (HLAGADAO), Water Safety Plans, Training & Documentation (Logbooks, SOPs) (BPABAJAL)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Wastewater treatment services
• Biosolids management
• Industrial pretreatment
• Water distribution infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Laurel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water and Sewer Service Charges: Recurring charges for water supply and wastewater collection services provided to residential, commercial, industrial, and government customers based on consumption and service availability.
2. Fire Hydrant Meter Leasing: Lease of fire hydrant meters to customers wanting to purchase water without sewer charges. Revenue includes water charges ($11.20 per 1,000 gallons), service charges, and deposit fees.
3. Industrial Discharge Control Program Fees: Permit fees and annual program fees from Significant Industrial Users (SIUs) and other industrial users regulated under the pretreatment program.
4. Permit and Development Fees: Fees for permits including service connections, development services, plumbing inspections, and system development charges.
5. Front Foot Benefit Charges: Charges for new development connecting to water and sewer infrastructure based on frontage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WSSC Water is a bi-county public utility that supplies drinking water and collects and treats wastewater for approximately 1.9 million residents and businesses across Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. It sells these regulated water and sewer services to residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers and supports them with metering, fire hydrant, laboratory, permitting, and industrial pretreatment services.

Product overview

WSSC Water operates as a unified water and wastewater utility providing essential services to Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. The utility delivers water distribution across 5,800+ miles of mains to 1.9+ million customers and manages wastewater treatment through six water resource recovery facilities. Core offerings include water distribution, wastewater management, fire hydrant services, laboratory testing, and industrial discharge control programs. Digital services are delivered through customer portals for billing, account management, and permitting. Environmental initiatives include the Piscataway Bioenergy Project for renewable natural gas production from biosolids.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Distribution Services Potable water supply delivered through more than 5,800 miles of water mains to residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers across Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland.
• Wastewater Collection and Treatment Sanitary sewer collection and treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater at 6 water resource recovery facilities operated by WSSC Water for customers in its bi-county service area.
• Fire Hydrant Services Installation, maintenance, and flow availability of 46,700+ fire hydrants across the service area to support fire suppression, flushing, and emergency response.
• Fire Hydrant Meter Leasing Rental of portable hydrant meters to fire departments, contractors, and event organizers for temporary, metered water use from WSSC hydrants.
• Industrial Discharge Control Program Permitting, monitoring, and enforcement program for Significant Industrial Users discharging non-domestic wastewater into WSSC's sewer system, recognized by the EPA as an Outstanding Industrial Pretreatment Program.
• Permit Services for Developers Water and sewer permitting, plan review, connection, and inspection approvals for new residential and commercial development within the WSSC service area, processed via the ePermitting system.
• Laboratory Services Water quality and wastewater laboratory testing services supporting regulatory compliance, operational monitoring, and pretreatment program oversight.
• Water Meter Services Meter installation, reading, maintenance, and replacement that underpin volumetric billing and accountability for water consumption across the customer base.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero drinking water quality violations in over 108 years of operation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Montgomery CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSSC Water's Piscataway Bioenergy Project converts methane from biosolids into renewable natural gas (RNG) that powers Montgomery County's bus system. This partnership enables the county to utilize renewable energy from wastewater treatment for public transportation, while WSSC processes biosolids from six resource recovery facilities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Water Works Company: American Water Works is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility, serving over 14 million people across 14 states. While WSSC is a public agency, American Water is the natural broad-incumbent reference for utility valuation, operating efficiency, and large-scale regulated water/wastewater service delivery.
• Essential Utilities (Aqua America): Essential Utilities operates Aqua America, serving ~3 million people across 10 states, with a focus on regulated water and natural gas. Comparable to WSSC in regulated monopolist economics, recurring rate-based revenue, and large geographic footprint with municipal-customer analog.
• Philadelphia Water Department: Philadelphia Water Department serves approximately 1.7 million residents across Philadelphia. With a comparable customer scale to WSSC (1.9M+), PWD is a strong broad-incumbent peer for benchmarking operating performance, water quality compliance, and rate-based revenue mechanics in a large Northeastern U.S. city.

Direct peers

• DC Water: DC Water is a regional water and wastewater utility serving Washington D.C. and parts of surrounding suburbs. It is the most direct bi-county/regional municipal utility peer to WSSC, operating similar water distribution, wastewater treatment, and biosolids infrastructure for a comparable mid-Atlantic customer base.
• Fairfax Water: Fairfax Water is Virginia's largest water utility, providing drinking water to Fairfax County and surrounding jurisdictions. It mirrors WSSC's regional monopoly model, large-scale water main network, and treatment plant infrastructure for a comparable suburban mid-Atlantic customer base.
• Baltimore City Department of Public Works: Baltimore City DPW operates the water and wastewater system for the City of Baltimore, including the Back River and Patapsco wastewater treatment plants. As a large Maryland municipal water/wastewater utility, it is a direct operating peer to WSSC across water distribution, wastewater treatment, and biosolids management.

Regional players

• Washington Aqueduct: Washington Aqueduct provides wholesale treated drinking water to DC Water and surrounding jurisdictions, including parts of Northern Virginia and Maryland. It is a regional source-water and treatment peer relevant to WSSC's watershed, source-water monitoring, and finished-water quality operations.
• Arlington County Water, Sewer & Streets Bureau: Arlington County's Water, Sewer and Streets Bureau provides water/wastewater service to roughly 240,000 residents in Northern Virginia. It is a comparable regional public utility with similar infrastructure, regulatory, and rate-base mechanics in a dense suburban jurisdiction adjacent to the National Capital Region.
• Howard County Bureau of Water and Sewer: Howard County Bureau of Water and Sewer provides water and wastewater service to Howard County, Maryland, immediately adjacent to WSSC's service territory. It is a comparable mid-sized regional utility operating similar water distribution, treatment, and pretreatment programs in the same Maryland regulatory environment.

Emerging players

• Veolia Water North America: Veolia Water operates and manages municipal and industrial water and wastewater systems across the U.S., including many contracted operations. As a private operator managing municipal utilities like WSSC, Veolia is a key reference for outsourced utility operations and bioenergy/water-reuse commercialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wsscwaternews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/WSSCVideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/wsscwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wsscwater
• Instagraminstagram.com/wsscwater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission