Boston Water

Name

Boston Water

Legal name

Boston Water and Sewer Commission

Website

https://bwsc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) is a municipal government commission providing exclusive drinking water distribution, wastewater collection, and stormwater drainage services to over 1 million daily users across 90,000+ accounts and 20,500 acres in the City of Boston.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Distribution Services: Revenue from providing drinking water distribution services to over 90,000 accounts including residents, schools, hospitals, businesses, and institutions. Rates implemented January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, with tiered pricing based on consumption levels.
2. Sewer and Wastewater Services: Revenue from sanitary sewer collection and wastewater services. BWSC purchases wastewater treatment services from MWRA, with MWRA charges representing the largest single component of BWSC's operating expenses.
3. Stormwater Management: Separate stormwater charge implemented April 1, 2024, based on impervious area per property (per ERU), allowing BWSC to assess properties that impact the stormwater system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) is a municipal utility that provides drinking water distribution, sanitary sewer/wastewater collection, and stormwater drainage services to properties within the City of Boston. It operates New England's largest and oldest water, sewer, and stormwater systems, serving over one million people daily across approximately 20,500 acres, and additionally offers related programs such as lead service line replacement, conservation, site plan approval, hydrant meter permits, and backflow prevention for residential, business, and builder/contractor customers.

Product overview

Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) operates as a municipal water and sewer utility providing drinking water distribution, wastewater collection, and stormwater drainage services to the City of Boston. The company manages New England's oldest and largest water, sewer, and stormwater systems, serving over one million people daily across approximately 20,500 acres. BWSC offers a comprehensive portfolio of services including core utility operations (water distribution, wastewater collection, stormwater drainage), preventative maintenance programs (water main flushing, pipe cleaning, CCTV inspections, catch basin cleaning, manhole inspections), environmental programs (green infrastructure, lead replacement, conservation initiatives, stormwater grants), and educational resources (storm drain marking, curriculum materials, Kids Corner). Supporting infrastructure includes the Customer Portal for account management, The Water Truck for community outreach, and the Maproom for public access to system and infrastructure data. BWSC also provides permitting services for development projects including site plan approval, hydrant meters, backflow prevention devices, dewatering, and stormwater management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Distribution Services Provides drinking water distribution to over 90,000 accounts including residents, schools, universities, hospitals, businesses, industries, and institutions throughout Boston, sourced via MWRA.
• Wastewater Collection Services Manages the collection and transport of sanitary sewage through Boston's sewer system, serving over one million people daily; BWSC purchases treatment services from MWRA.
• Stormwater Drainage Services Owns and operates the collection and transport of stormwater runoff (rain and snowmelt) that discharges into receiving waters around Boston including Boston Harbor and the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset Rivers.
• Customer Portal Online account management platform allowing customers to check balances, make payments, manage accounts, and schedule payment plans.
• The Water Truck Interactive mobile water distribution unit (eight spigots, eight fountains, two dog bowls, handicap accessible, 330-gallon capacity) that attends public events to educate the public on Boston's tap water and reduce single-use plastics.
• Water Main Flushing Program Program to improve drinking water quality by flushing water mains, conducted typically between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM throughout Boston.
• Pipe Cleaning and CCTV Inspections Sewer and storm drain pipe cleaning conducted year-round, followed by closed-circuit television inspections to identify defects, likelihood of failure, and rehabilitation needs.
• Catch Basin Cleaning Year-round cleaning of catch basins (storm drain inlets) to remove sediment and debris, preventing blockages and minimizing pollutants entering storm sewers.
• Site Plan Approval Process Two-step review and approval process for new construction or renovation projects involving BWSC's water, sewer, or storm drain systems.
• Hydrant Meter Permits Permits for construction-purpose hydrant use, with a $750 deposit, $100 rental charge for 90-day period, plus water usage charges.
• Backflow Preventer Device Program Devices installed on properties to prevent drinking water contamination from backflow; annual or semi-annual inspections required depending on device type.
• Maproom Interactive mapping system providing public access to maps including Catch Basins, Combined Sewer Overflow, Construction, Hydrant, Neighborhood Project, Rain Gauges, Sanitary Sewer Overflow, and Water Service (including lead service indicators).

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving over 1 million people daily
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWRA is the wholesale provider of water and sewer services to 61 communities in the metropolitan Boston area. BWSC purchases treated water and wastewater treatment services from MWRA. BWSC is MWRA's largest single customer for both water and sewer services, and MWRA charges represent the largest single component of BWSC's operating expenses.
• Kleinfelder Northeast, Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContractor working with BWSC to arrange lead sampling appointments at schools and childcare facilities in Boston as required by the Lead and Copper Rule federal regulation.
• Weston & SampsonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering consultant providing 24/7 project hotline and support for the South Boston Sewer Separation Project.
• GVC Construction, Inc.minorOthersContractor for the Charlestown Water, Sewer, and Drain Replacement Project performing replacement and rehabilitation of approximately 5,670 linear feet of sewers and drains, and 4,615 linear feet of water mains.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DC Water: Municipal water and wastewater authority serving Washington, D.C. Operates the District's water distribution, sewer collection, and stormwater systems under a similar combined utility mandate, including consent-decree-driven sewer separation and green infrastructure programs.
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection: Municipal agency providing water supply, wastewater collection, and stormwater management for New York City. Highly comparable in scale (millions of customers), combined sewer overflow challenges, and large-scale climate resilience capital programs.
• Philadelphia Water Department: Municipal water, wastewater, and stormwater utility serving Philadelphia. Operates under a similar combined sewer system with EPA consent decree, green city clean waters program, and tiered stormwater pricing—closely mirroring BWSC's mandate and challenges.
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Municipal utility providing water, wastewater, and stormwater services to San Francisco. Comparable in operating an integrated three-stream utility within a dense coastal urban environment with significant climate adaptation investment.
• Seattle Public Utilities: Municipal water, sewer, drainage, and solid waste utility serving Seattle. Comparable in delivering integrated water/wastewater/stormwater services to a major Pacific-coast city with aging infrastructure and climate-driven capex needs.

Others

• Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA): Wholesale water and wastewater treatment provider serving 61 metropolitan Boston communities. BWSC's single largest supplier and largest customer—an essential upstream/downstream relationship rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• American Water Works Company: Largest publicly-traded US water and wastewater utility (~14M people served). Provides a private-market benchmark for regulated water utility valuation, rate-base growth dynamics, and infrastructure investment multiples relevant to BWSC.
• Essential Utilities: Diversified regulated water and natural gas utility serving customers across multiple states. Comparable in operating a regulated water/wastewater business with recurring rate-based revenue and infrastructure-focused capex programs.
• Veolia North America: Operates municipal water and wastewater contracts across North America, including operation of municipal treatment and distribution systems. Comparable in providing outsourced utility-scale water services under municipal contracts.
• Aqua America: Regulated water and wastewater utility serving communities across the US. Comparable in operating small-to-mid-sized municipal water systems with significant infrastructure renewal capex requirements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/boston_water
• Facebookfacebook.com/bostonwaterandsewercommission

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 Boston Water