Berliner Wasserbetriebe

What Berliner Wasserbetriebe does

Berliner Wasserbetriebe is Berlin's sole public water and wastewater utility, structured as a public-law institution (Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts) owned by the State of Berlin. The company supplies drinking water and provides wastewater collection and treatment to approximately 3.7 million residents in Berlin and parts of Brandenburg, operating 9 waterworks and 6 wastewater treatment plants connected by a multi-thousand-kilometer pipeline network. Drinking water is produced exclusively from groundwater without chlorination, with continuous quality monitoring across the water cycle, and a fourth wastewater treatment stage targets trace substances such as pharmaceutical residues. The company also maintains approximately 250 public drinking fountains across Berlin (operated May–October) and holds a registered German utility model (Gebrauchsmuster) for a barrier locking system protecting drinking water zones.

Revenue is anchored in regulated, recurring water and wastewater fees — approximately 0.5 Euro cents per liter for tap water inclusive of taxes and wastewater charges — supplemented by water dispenser rental and sales, professional water analysis, and house-connection construction services. Distribution is direct via a walk-in customer center (Kundenzentrum at Neue Jüdenstraße 1), an online self-service customer portal (Kundenportal), a toll-free service hotline (0800 292 75 87) with 24/7 emergency response, and a dedicated water dispenser sales team offering on-site consultation and showroom visits (0800.292.76.54). B2B dispenser programs have been rolled out into schools (framework contract with the Berlin Senate Education Authority), senior and nursing care homes, hotels, and hospitality venues.

Berliner Wasserbetriebe is pursuing diversification into adjacent product lines and urban climate initiatives. Commercial water dispensers are distributed under official partnerships with BRITA Vivreau, Borg & Overstrøm, SodaJet, and grünbeck AG. The company participates in the H2Berlin hydrogen initiative with GASAG, Vattenfall, BSR, Stromnetz Berlin and Toyota, co-founded the Berliner Regenwasseragentur with Land Berlin in 2018, and runs a wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology program covering 83.4% of Berlin's sewage in cooperation with Amedes and the Max Delbrück Center. Recent strategic focus centers on the Groundwater Resilience Concept, with a 30-wells-per-year renewal program, reactivation of former waterworks at Jungfernheide and Johannisthal, and expanded artificial groundwater recharge. The company has been recognized with three consecutive Deutscher Ideenmanagement Preis awards (2021–2023).

Name

Berliner Wasserbetriebe

Legal name

Berliner Wasserbetriebe

Website

https://bwb.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Berliner Wasserbetriebe is Berlin's state-owned public water and wastewater utility, supplying drinking water and wastewater treatment to approximately 3.7 million residents via 9 waterworks and 6 treatment plants, complemented by water dispenser rentals and laboratory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utility Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Sampling, Testing & Laboratory Analysis (Legionella/Microbiology) (BPABAJAB), Monitoring & Control (Dosing Systems, Remote Monitoring, Sensors) (BPABAJAK), Domestic Hot & Cold Water System Hygiene (Potable Water) (BPABAJAD)

Keywords

• Drinking water supply
• Wastewater treatment
• Public water utility
• Water dispensers
• Water analysis services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Drinking Water Supply Fees: Recurring fees charged to all residential, commercial, and public customers in Berlin for drinking water supply. Priced at approximately 0.5 cents per liter including taxes and wastewater fees. Revenue is regulated under public law.
2. Wastewater Collection and Treatment Fees: Fees charged for wastewater collection, rainwater management, and treatment services. Billed periodically (abschlagsweise) through the customer account system. In 2025, the company published updated wastewater fees (Gebühren).
3. Water Dispenser Rental and Sales: Water dispensers with fixed connection to the drinking water line offered as rental (with inclusive maintenance, installation, and service) or for purchase. Revenue recognized through rental income and one-time device sales. Contact-free dispensing with still, carbonated, chilled, and hot water options.
4. Water Analysis and Laboratory Services: Professional water analysis services for private and commercial customers. Includes testing for drinking water quality, pool water, and non-domestic wastewater. Revenue generated through per-test fees.
5. House Connections and Construction Services: Network connections for water and wastewater for new and existing properties, including deep construction work. Charged as ancillary fees for construction measures and meter installation work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Berliner Wasserbetriebe is Berlin's public water and wastewater utility, providing drinking water supply (sourced entirely from groundwater via 9 waterworks) and wastewater collection and treatment (via 6 treatment plants) to approximately 3.7 million residents and businesses under a regulated public-law monopoly. In addition to core regulated utility services, it sells and rents water dispensers (Wasserspender) from partner brands (Borg & Overström, BRITA Vivreau, SodaJet, grünbeck), provides professional water analysis laboratory services, performs house connection construction, and operates ~250 free public drinking fountains across Berlin.

Product overview

Berliner Wasserbetriebe operates as Berlin's public water utility (Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts), providing a unified portfolio of core infrastructure services and consumer-facing products. Core services include drinking water supply (from groundwater via waterworks) and wastewater collection/treatment across six treatment plants. The consumer product portfolio centers on Wasserspender (water dispensers) — table-top, under-counter, and freestanding units from brands including Borg & Overström, BRITA, and SodaJet — available for rent or purchase for home, office, healthcare, and hospitality use. Supporting offerings include approximately 250 public Trinkbrunnen (drinking fountains) across Berlin, a Kundenportal (online customer portal) for account management and meter reading, a Berliner Wasserkarte (interactive water map), a Wassergebrauchsrechner (water usage calculator), educational campaigns on wastewater disposal, and a fourth treatment stage for trace substance removal. The Wasserspender range is distributed through official partnerships with Borg & Overström, BRITA Vivreau, and grünbeck AG.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Berliner Wasserkarte: Interactive map showing drinking fountains, service locations, waterworks, and wastewater treatment plants across Berlin.

Products and services

• Drinking Water Supply (Trinkwasserversorgung)
• Wastewater Collection and Treatment (Abwasserentsorgung)
• Water Dispensers (Wasserspender)
• Water Analysis Services (Wasseranalyse)
• House Connections (Hausanschluss)
• Public Drinking Fountains (Trinkbrunnen)
• Trace Substance Removal (Spurenstoffentfernung)
• Standpipe Rental (Standrohrservice)
• Fecal Waste Collection (Fäkalienabfuhr)
• Grease Separator Services (Fettabscheider)
• Rainwater Management (Regenwasser) / Berliner Regenwasseragentur
• Online Customer Portal (Kundenportal)

Quantifiable outcome

• If all Berliners drank tap water, more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2 could be avoided annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• H2Berlin Initiative (GASAG, Vattenfall, Berliner Stadtwerke, Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR), Stromnetz Berlin, Sustainable Hydrogen, Toyota)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerliner Wasserbetriebe participates in the H2Berlin cross-company initiative alongside GASAG, Vattenfall, Berliner Stadtwerke, BSR, Stromnetz Berlin, Sustainable Hydrogen, and Toyota. The initiative aims to promote a hydrogen economy in Berlin to reduce fossil fuel consumption and meet climate targets. A founding association (Verein) is planned. A study by H2Berlin and Forschungszentrum Jülich identified hydrogen potential in Berlin's heat supply and transport sectors, targeting 9,000 tonnes hydrogen usage by 2025.
• BRITA Vivreau GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationBerliner Wasserbetriebe is an official distribution and service partner of BRITA Vivreau GmbH for water dispensers. Products include the BRITA Extra I-Tap 50/85, BRITA Top Compact, and BRITA Top Pro 50/85. The partnership provides ongoing product supply, technical support, and installation services for commercial water dispensers in Berlin.
• Borg & OverströmcoreTechnology or IntegrationBerliner Wasserbetriebe is an official distribution and service partner of Borg & Overström. Water dispenser products include the Borg & Overström T1 (under-counter with touch display), E4 (entry-level countertop), and E6 (premium countertop). The partnership covers product supply, installation, and maintenance services.
• grünbeck AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationBerliner Wasserbetriebe is an official distribution and service partner of grünbeck AG, a water treatment technology company. The partnership supports water dispenser and water treatment solutions for Berlin customers.
• Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, Jugend und Familie (Berlin Senate Education Authority)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Senate education authority of Berlin commissioned a framework contract for the installation of water dispensers in Berlin primary schools and schools with special educational needs. Berliner Wasserbetriebe is responsible for installation and maintenance, while school catering companies bear the costs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Suez Water: International water and waste management operator serving municipal and industrial customers globally. Broad incumbent with comparable water-treatment and utility-services portfolio, often as concession operator or technology partner.
• EPCOR Utilities: North American municipal water, wastewater, and energy utility serving multiple Canadian and US cities. Comparable as a publicly accountable water and wastewater utility operating regulated infrastructure across major metropolitan service areas.
• Veolia Environnement: Global environmental services and water utility operator with municipal water and wastewater concessions across multiple geographies. Broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities in water/wastewater operations, treatment technology, and customer services at international scale.
• Thames Water: UK's largest water and wastewater utility serving London and surrounding regions. Comparable as a large-scale monopoly municipal water utility with similar regulated-tariff model, aging infrastructure renewal programs, and capital-intensive network operations.

Others

• BRITA GmbH: German water-filtration and dispenser manufacturer and a distribution partner of Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BRITA Vivreau) for water dispensers. Comparable as a supplier of household and commercial water-treatment hardware, including dispensers retailed by BWB, but a technology supplier rather than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Stadtwerke München (SWM): Munich's municipal multi-utility providing drinking water, energy, and public services. Comparable as a large German municipal utility serving a major metropolitan area with regulated monopoly water operations alongside diversified consumer services.
• Münchner Stadtentwässerung: Munich's municipal wastewater utility, operating one of Europe's largest wastewater treatment plants. Direct peer in scale, urban wastewater treatment operations, and German public-utility governance, though focused on wastewater rather than integrated water supply.
• Berliner Stadtwerke: Berlin's municipal energy and heat utility. Direct peer as a Land Berlin-owned public utility operating in the same geography, partnered within the H2Berlin initiative, and addressing cross-utility climate and energy-transition challenges relevant to integrated urban infrastructure.
• Kommunale Wasserwerke Leipzig (KWL): Leipzig's municipal water utility providing drinking water supply and wastewater services. Comparable mid-sized German municipal water utility with similar regulated-monopoly model and customer-base structure.
• Hamburger Wasserwerke (Hamburg Wasser): Municipal water and wastewater utility serving Hamburg and surrounding regions. Closely comparable as another large German AöR-style public water utility with similar regulated-monopoly business model, household connection services, and integrated drinking water and wastewater operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wasserbetriebe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/wasserbetriebe
• Facebookfacebook.com/wasserbetriebe
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/berliner-wasserbetriebe
• Instagraminstagram.com/wasserbetriebe

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Berliner Wasserbetriebe