OWASA

What OWASA does

OWASA (Orange Water and Sewer Authority) is a public utility authority formed in 1977 that provides water and wastewater services to Carrboro and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It operates as a stand-alone government entity funded solely by ratepayer fees with no tax support, governed by an independent Board of Directors. The utility serves approximately 21,000 metered accounts through a fully owned infrastructure network comprising 350 miles of wastewater pipe, 21 pumping stations, 14 miles of pressurized pipe, and 11,000 manholes, supported by two primary treatment facilities: the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant (20 MGD drinking water capacity) and the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant (14.5 MGD capacity with UV disinfection).

Core products span drinking water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, a reclaimed water system with 3 MGD peak capacity (expandable to 5 MGD), a Class A biosolids recycling program producing over 1,289 dry tons annually, and the Agua Vista smart metering customer portal. Technology stack includes conventional treatment augmented by Powdered Activated Carbon and pilot Granular Activated Carbon and Ion Exchange systems for PFAS removal, anaerobic digestion with biogas recovery, UV disinfection, and 308 kW DC of solar generation across four arrays. OWASA is actively constructing a $75 million PFAS treatment facility expected operational by 2029 to comply with new EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels.

The business model is a regulated ratepayer-funded utility model. Primary revenue streams are monthly water and sewer service charges (subscription/recurring), system development fees from new connections, reclaimed water sales to UNC and UNC Hospitals, and recreation fees from Cane Creek Reservoir and University Lake. The FY2025 budget includes a 15% rate increase, with roughly half dedicated to PFAS capital investment. Distribution is exclusively direct to end customers within the chartered service territory — no channel partners, resellers, or distributors. Customer segments are horizontal across residential, commercial, and institutional users, with anchor enterprise relationships to UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Hospitals for reclaimed water. The organization has invested more than $330 million in community infrastructure over the past 24 years and has won multiple national awards including the Partnership for Safe Water Excellence in Water Treatment Award (2011 and 2016 Five-Year) and the Partnership for Clean Water Directors Award (2021).

Name

OWASA

Legal name

Orange Water and Sewer Authority

Website

https://owasa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

OWASA is a public utility authority providing drinking water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services to approximately 21,000 customers in Carrboro and Chapel Hill, NC. It is funded solely by ratepayer fees and operates treatment plants, 350 miles of pipe, and an active PFAS treatment capital program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Sewer Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB), Recycled Water Customer Programs & Demand Management (Connections, Rate Design, End‑Use Controls) (EUANAGAJ), Water & Wastewater Utility IoT (SCADA, Leak/Quality Monitoring) (EUADAPAK)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Wastewater treatment
• Reclaimed water reuse
• Smart metering
• PFAS treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Carrboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water and Sewer Service Rates: Primary revenue from residential, commercial, and institutional customers paying monthly water and sewer bills based on consumption. OWASA is a stand-alone entity funded solely by ratepayers with no tax support. Approximately 50% of revenue goes to capital improvements and 50% to operations.
2. System Development Fees: Fees charged to new development for water and sewer facility extensions and service availability. Part of capital funding.
3. Reclaimed Water Sales: Sale of reclaimed water to UNC and UNC Hospitals for non-potable uses. System cost borne by customers; operating costs paid solely by reclaimed water customers.
4. Recreation Fees: Boating permits and rental fees for Cane Creek Reservoir and University Lake recreation activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

OWASA is a public utility authority that provides drinking water treatment and distribution through the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant (20 MGD capacity), wastewater collection and treatment through the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant (7 MGD capacity), and reclaimed water for non-potable reuse. The authority serves approximately 21,000 residential, commercial, and institutional customer accounts in Carrboro and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, through direct metering and monthly billing.

Product overview

OWASA (Orange Water and Sewer Authority) is a public utility providing integrated water and wastewater services to Carrboro and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The utility operates a unified service portfolio centered on drinking water treatment and distribution (Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant), wastewater collection and treatment (Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant), and a reclaimed water system for non-potable reuse. Supporting services include the Agua Vista customer portal for usage monitoring, PFAS treatment technologies, biosolids recycling for agriculture, and community education programs (Youth Water Academy, Water Wagon, Wonderful Water). Recreation services at Cane Creek Reservoir and University Lake complement the utility's mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drinking Water Treatment and Distribution Treatment and distribution of drinking water to residential, commercial, and institutional customers across Carrboro and Chapel Hill through the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant with capacity up to 20 million gallons per day.
• Wastewater Collection and Treatment Collection of wastewater through 350 miles of underground pipes and treatment at the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant, capable of treating up to 7 million gallons per day with UV disinfection and producing Class A biosolids.
• Reclaimed Water System Advanced treatment of wastewater to produce reclaimed water for non-drinking purposes including flushing toilets, irrigating fields, and cooling towers. Peak demand capacity of 3 million gallons per day, expandable to 5 MGD.
• Agua Vista Customer Portal Customer portal providing hourly water usage data from approximately 21,000 smart meters, enabling customers to monitor consumption and detect leaks in real-time.
• PFAS Treatment Program Treatment technologies including Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC), Granular Activated Carbon (GAC), and Ion Exchange (IX) to remove PFAS compounds from drinking water, with in-house PFAS testing capability.
• Biosolids Recycling Program Production of Class A biosolids from wastewater treatment for land application and agricultural use as fertilizer and soil amendment, producing over 1,289 dry tons annually with EPA Exceptional Quality designation.
• Recreation Services Boating, fishing, and recreation opportunities at Cane Creek Reservoir and University Lake, including boat rentals and permit reservations.
• Care to Share Bill Assistance Program Customer assistance program helping neighbors with overdue water bills, administered in partnership with the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water quality meets or surpasses all state and federal drinking water regulations annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Black & VeatchcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2024Engineering firm working with OWASA on PFAS pilot project at Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant. Project manager Jeff Thompson oversees pilot testing of GAC and Ion Exchange technologies for PFAS removal.
• St. Thomas More SchoolminorOthers · 1 March 2011Began using reclaimed water in spring 2011 to irrigate athletic fields and for toilet flushing. One of the smaller reclaimed water customers.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel HillcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2009Major partnership for reclaimed water system following 2000s drought. UNC paid majority of system construction cost and uses lion's share of reclaimed water output. UNC and UNC Hospitals use reclaimed water at all central campus chiller plant cooling towers instead of drinking water. System value approximately $14 million.
• Eagle Solar and LightcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerManaging Director Scott Alexander led innovative 25-year solar lease arrangement for three OWASA solar projects. Partnership enables cost savings exceeding annual lease payments from day one.
• UNC Department of Environmental Sciences and EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate Professor Orlando Coronell serves as co-project leader of NC Pure Project researching PFAS removal effectiveness. Participated in OWASA PFAS Community Chat series discussing science behind PFAS removal.
• N.C. Collaboratory / NC Pure at UNCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded pilot project testing novel sorbents (advanced materials to absorb PFAS) housed at Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment Plant. Research managed by NC Pure Project at UNC-Chapel Hill.
• Water Research FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOWASA is an active member funding research across the state for advancements in PFAS monitoring and treatment.
• N.C. Urban Water ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOWASA is an active member funding research across the state for advancements in PFAS monitoring and treatment.
• Southern Environmental Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSELC is fighting to put burden of PFAS removal on those who caused pollution. Involved in multiple lawsuits against chemical manufacturers like Chemours responsible for PFAS pollution in Cape Fear River.
• 97.9 The Hill WCHLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal radio partner producing Wonderful Water monthly broadcast highlighting OWASA team members and community water ambassadors.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Essential Utilities (formerly Aqua America): Multi-state regulated water and natural gas utility (NYSE: WTRG) with a significant municipal-contract water portfolio. Comparable in regulated water service delivery, PFAS planning, and rate-base growth strategy, though operating across many more jurisdictions and a much larger customer base than OWASA.
• American Water Works Company: Largest investor-owned water and wastewater utility in the United States (NYSE: AWK), serving ~14 million people across multiple states. Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in regulated water/wastewater operations, PFAS treatment, and customer-facing digital platforms — comparable product category but vastly larger scale and geographic diversification.

Direct peers

• Charlotte Water: Largest NC municipal water and wastewater utility serving the City of Charlotte. Comparable integrated water + wastewater + biosolids operations under public-utility governance, with similar PFAS and capacity-expansion planning pressures.
• Hillsborough Water & Sewer Department (Town of Hillsborough, NC): Adjacent Orange County, NC municipal water and wastewater provider serving the Town of Hillsborough. Directly comparable to OWASA in scale, governance model (public utility serving a small college-town demographic), and mixed water/sewer service territory.
• Fayetteville Public Works Commission: Independent NC public authority (similar legal structure to OWASA) providing water, sewer, and electric services to the City of Fayetteville. Directly comparable governance model — special-purpose government entity funded by rates, no tax support — and similar mid-size municipal utility economics.
• Cary Water (Town of Cary, NC): North Carolina municipal water utility operated by the Town of Cary in the Triangle region. Comparable mid-size municipal water provider with similar growth-driven capacity expansion dynamics and ratepayer-funded capital model.
• Durham Water Management (City of Durham, NC): Slightly larger North Carolina municipal water and wastewater utility serving the City of Durham. Comparable Triangle-region operational context, public-utility governance, and integrated drinking water + wastewater + reclaimed water service model.
• Greensboro Water Resources (City of Greensboro, NC): North Carolina municipal water and wastewater utility serving the City of Greensboro. Comparable scale and service-territory model with similar regulatory exposure to PFAS, reclaimed water, and source-water planning.
• Raleigh Water (City of Raleigh, NC): Larger Triangle-region municipal water and wastewater utility serving the City of Raleigh. Same regulatory framework (NC state utility oversight), comparable drinking water + reclaimed water product mix, and similar environmental compliance and PFAS exposure profile.

Emerging players

• Veolia Water North America: Operates and manages water and wastewater utilities under municipal contracts across the U.S., including through acquisition of Suez's North American assets. Comparable in PFAS treatment expertise, advanced water treatment technologies, and operating-model optionality for municipal clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OWASA1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOlUVJmjvl52eNUcyWsy4KQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Orange-Water-and-Sewer-Authority/100066838051243
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orange-water-and-sewer-authority

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 OWASA