Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1918
- HeadquartersLaurel, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
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.
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Laurel
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Permit and Development Fees: Fees for permits including service connections, development services, plumbing inspections, and system development charges.
- Front Foot Benefit Charges: Charges for new development connecting to water and sewer infrastructure based on frontage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | New DAP (Discharge Authorization Permit) - SIU |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | DAP Permit Renewal - SIU |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Zero-Discharge CIU Initial Permit |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Zero-Discharge CIU Reissued Permit |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Program Fee Category 1A/2A |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Program Fee Category 1B/2B |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Program Fee Category 1C |
| Usage-based | Monthly | 3/4-inch Fire Hydrant Meter |
| Usage-based | Monthly | 3-inch Fire Hydrant Meter |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Montgomery CountycoreWSSC 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
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad 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
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission social profiles
Digital presenceWashington Suburban Sanitary Commission financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
What does Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission do?
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.
Is Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission a public or private company?
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission founded?
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission was founded in 1918. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission based?
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is headquartered in Laurel, United States, in the North America region.
How does Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Water and Sewer Service Charges are the primary driver. The others are fire Hydrant Meter Leasing, industrial Discharge Control Program Fees, permit and Development Fees and front Foot Benefit Charges.
Who are Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American Water Works Company, Essential Utilities (Aqua America) and Philadelphia Water Department. Direct peers are DC Water, Fairfax Water and Baltimore City Department of Public Works. Regional players are Washington Aqueduct, Arlington County Water, Sewer & Streets Bureau and Howard County Bureau of Water and Sewer. Veolia Water North America is listed as an emerging player.
Does Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission have an API?
No public API is recorded for Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.
What industry is Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission in?
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's product category is Water and Wastewater Utilities. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAG, Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration, with a secondary code of EUANADAA, Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Its NAICS code is 2213 and its SIC code is 4941.