OCWA

What OCWA does

Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) is a provincial Crown agency of the Province of Ontario, established in 1993 under the Build Ontario Act, that provides operations, maintenance, and management services for water treatment, water distribution, wastewater collection, wastewater treatment, and stormwater infrastructure. The agency operates more than 1,000 water supply and wastewater treatment facilities across Ontario — more than any other operator in the province — and serves approximately 1 in 3 Ontario residents, employing more than 600 certified water operators organized across 10 regional offices and a dedicated First Nations Hub Office in Thunder Bay. OCWA operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, files an annual Business Plan with the Ministry, and reports to the provincial legislature.

OCWA delivers services through a hub-based delivery model, with certified operators embedded in local communities and supported by regional offices that provide engineering, compliance, capital project, and back-office capabilities. Its service portfolio spans seven core lines: Operations and Maintenance, Project Management and Capital Delivery, Infrastructure Planning, Infrastructure Support Services (including SCADA support, biosolids management, climate adaptation, and emergency response), Training, Financial Services, and Information and Data. The underlying technology stack is built on SCADA-based remote monitoring, an asset management work order system, electronic records with mobile applications for compliance and remote interventions, and data management systems used for regulatory reporting and trend identification. OCWA maintains ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified Quality and Environmental Management Systems and conducts third-party cybersecurity vulnerability assessments.

OCWA's customers are Ontario municipalities (primary), First Nations communities, government institutions, and industrial clients. Revenue is generated through managed-services contracts — no pricing is publicly disclosed. The agency is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario, governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, and is not privately held; there is no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no public ticker. OCWA supplements its contracted services with community-facing programs including the OneWater® education program (reaching 6,000+ grade 4 students annually), the "I Don't Flush" public awareness campaign (launched 2014), and OnTap portable water units for local events.

Name

OCWA

Legal name

Ontario Clean Water Agency

Website

https://ocwa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) is a provincial Crown agency operating more than 1,000 water and wastewater facilities across Ontario with 600+ certified operators, serving roughly 1 in 3 Ontario residents including municipalities, First Nations communities, institutions, and industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Water treatment services
• Wastewater management
• Municipal water operations
• Infrastructure planning
• Water facility maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Mississauga

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water and Wastewater Management Services: OCWA charges municipalities, First Nations, institutions, and industry for comprehensive water and wastewater operations, maintenance, project management, infrastructure planning, training, financial services, and technical support. Services are provided across all of Ontario through a hub-based model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OCWA operates, maintains, and manages water and wastewater treatment facilities for Ontario municipalities, First Nations communities, institutions, and industry. Services are delivered through a hub-based model with more than 600 certified operators embedded in local communities, supported by regional offices across Ontario. The agency also provides infrastructure planning, project management, training, financial services, and SCADA-based remote monitoring.

Product overview

OCWA offers a unified portfolio of water and wastewater services organized into seven core service areas: Operations and Maintenance (covering treatment, distribution, collection, and emergency response managed by 600+ certified operators), Project Management & Capital Delivery (full engineering and project lifecycle services), Infrastructure Planning (technical and financial planning across 1-25 year horizons), Infrastructure Support Services (engineering, SCADA, emergency response, climate adaptation), Training (water/wastewater courses in-person and online), Financial Services (asset management, funding assistance, rate planning), and Information & Data (SCADA monitoring, work management systems, compliance records). The company also operates community programs including the OneWater® education program for students and OnTap portable water units for events. OCWA is organized as a crown agency delivering services to municipalities, First Nations communities, institutions, and industry across Ontario, serving 1 in 3 Ontario residents through over 1,000 water and wastewater facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OneWater®: Educational program teaching students about water value and water/wastewater treatment systems
• I Don't Flush

Products and services

• Operations and Maintenance
• Project Management and Capital Delivery Engineering and project delivery services spanning concept through construction, including process evaluation, technology assessment, and capital planning for the full asset lifecycle.
• Infrastructure Planning
• Infrastructure Support Services
• Training
• Financial Services
• Information and Data
• OneWater Education Program Educational outreach program teaching grade 4 students about water value, the water cycle, water and wastewater treatment, and proper disposal practices through interactive presentations by water professionals.
• OnTap Portable Water Units Mobile tap water stations available for local events that provide healthy hydration options while reducing plastic bottle waste; maintained by certified water treatment operators.
• I Don't Flush Campaign Public awareness campaign educating the public about proper disposal of household items (wipes, grease, etc.) to prevent sewer blockages and environmental damage. Active on X, Facebook, and YouTube.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving approximately 1 in 3 Ontario residents across more than 1,000 facilities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (Ontario)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCWA operates under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. The MOU outlines OCWA's relationship and obligations to the Ministry. OCWA files an annual Business Plan with the Ministry and submits annual reports to the Ministry for tabling in the provincial legislature.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Essential Utilities: US water/wastewater utility with significant contract operations arm serving municipalities; comparable to OCWA's blend of regulated and contract-based service delivery.
• American Water Works Company: Largest publicly-traded US water and wastewater utility, operating owned and contracted water systems; a scaled incumbent reference point for OCWA's operating model across regulated and contract-based service.

Direct peers

• EPCOR Utilities: Canadian municipally-owned utility operating water/wastewater treatment and distribution across Alberta and increasingly other provinces; closest peer to OCWA in terms of fully integrated public-sector water service delivery model.
• Veolia Water Technologies (Canada): Global private-sector water operator that runs municipal water and wastewater O&M contracts in Canada and competes for the same Ontario municipal tenders as OCWA.
• Suez Water (Canada): International water services company with municipal operations and maintenance contracts across Canada; directly comparable to OCWA's contract O&M model for municipal clients.
• Corix Utilities: Canadian infrastructure services provider operating and maintaining water, wastewater, and district-energy systems under long-term municipal contracts; direct O&M peer to OCWA within Canada.
• Severn Trent Services: International water utility operator providing contract operations, maintenance, and technical services to municipal clients; comparable to OCWA in service mix and contract-based delivery model.

Others

• Xylem Inc. Global water technology and services company supplying SCADA, pumps, and analytics into municipal water systems; an enabling/adjacent vendor providing technologies OCWA deploys across its 1,000+ facilities.
• Stantec: Major Canadian engineering consulting firm providing water/wastewater infrastructure planning, design, and capital-program advisory — directly comparable to OCWA's Infrastructure Planning and Project Management & Capital Delivery service lines.

Emerging players

• Jacobs Solutions (Critical Mission Solutions / water business): Global engineering and program-management firm with a sizable water/wastewater practice delivering consulting, design, and capital delivery to municipal clients; competitive with OCWA's higher-margin engineering and capital delivery services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/idontflushnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/idontflush
• Xx.com/ocwanews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 OCWA