Northwest Water Systems

What Northwest Water Systems does

Northwest Water Systems, Inc. is a privately held Satellite Management Agency (SMA) founded in 1981 and headquartered in Port Orchard, Washington. The company provides technical, managerial, and financial services to public water systems across Washington State, with a stated footprint of 650+ Group A and Group B water systems, making it the geographically largest SMA in the state. Its service portfolio spans four core pillars — management services (regulatory compliance, cross-connection control, water quality sampling, operations and maintenance, 24-hour emergency response), utility billing (meter reading, statement preparation, payment processing, accounts receivable), financial management (QuickBooks record keeping, accounts payable, payroll, tax filings), and engineering and design (planning documents, water system design, water treatment, funding applications) — supplemented by compliance modules such as Lead Service Line Inventory surveys, fire hydrant inspections, and treatment monitoring.

The technology stack is conventional SaaS tooling layered for utility workflows: QuickBooks for client financial records, QuickBase for compliance forms and surveys, ePayUB for customer bill payment, The Compliance Engine for fire hydrant inspection submissions, and Sentry Internet (Washington State DOH) for water system data. Customer-facing functions are delivered through self-serve web portals covering water availability requests, real estate documentation, bill payment, and issue submission, while field services are dispatched through a roster of certified operators, licensed plumbers and electricians, and professional engineers. A formal partnership with Duckworth Pump & Well Services, including shared personnel, extends service coverage into pump, well, and treatment system specialties.

Revenue is generated primarily through monthly subscriptions for management, utility billing, and financial services contracts with individual water systems, supplemented by project-based engineering fees and transaction-based charges for water availability letters ($126.68) and lender letters ($65). Customers are distributed across at least ten Washington counties and span government, education, and developer segments, with contract relationships supported by regulatory-agency referrals and client referrals rather than paid marketing. The company applied a 3.2% CPI-based price increase to management contracts for 2026 and relocated its headquarters in February 2026, indicating stable recurring revenue and ongoing operational investment.

Name

Northwest Water Systems

Legal name

Northwest Water Systems, Inc

Website

https://nwwatersystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northwest Water Systems is a privately held Satellite Management Agency founded in 1981 that provides technical, managerial, financial, and engineering services to 650+ public water systems across Washington State, serving government, education, and developer clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Management Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

NRW Data Management & Water Balance (IWA Methodology, GIS/SCADA Integration, Digital Twins) (EUANAKAJ)

Keywords

• Water system management
• Satellite management agency
• Public water utilities
• Utility billing services
• Water system compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Orchard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water System Management Services: Comprehensive management services for Group A and Group B public water systems including compliance reporting, cross-connection control, water quality sampling, valve and hydrant operations, system flushing, and routine operations and maintenance activities.
2. Utility Billing Services: Full-service utility billing including meter reading, billing statement preparation and mailing, payment processing with deposits to water system accounts, penalty calculation, accounts receivable monitoring, and service suspension assistance.
3. Financial Management Services: Financial management including system checking account maintenance, accounts payable management, QuickBooks financial records, payroll processing, utility tax payments, CPA review preparation, and lien filing services.
4. Engineering and Design Services: Engineering services including planning documents, water system design, source approval, reservoir design, hydraulic analysis, water treatment design, project management, water right assistance, and funding assistance applications.
5. Repair Services: Emergency water outage response and equipment repair including diagnosing out of water situations, low pressure, booster pump systems, pressure tanks, water meters, leaks, and pumphouse construction and plumbing maintenance.
6. Water Availability Letters: Processing fees for water availability determinations required for property transactions and building permits. Fee of $126.68 per request.
7. Real Estate Documentation Services: Lender letters and water sample documentation for real estate transactions. Lender letter fee of $65.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Northwest Water Systems is a privately held, for-profit water utility management company founded in 1981 and headquartered in Port Orchard, WA. Operating as a Satellite Management Agency (SMA), it manages Group A and Group B Public Water Systems on behalf of owners in Washington State, providing operations, utility billing, financial management, engineering, repair, regulatory compliance, and ancillary real estate and inspection services. It is the largest SMA in Washington State, overseeing more than 650 water systems.

Product overview

Northwest Water Systems operates as the geographically largest Satellite Management Agency (SMA) in Washington State, managing over 650 Group A and Group B Public Water Systems since 1981. The company offers an integrated suite of water utility management services organized around four core pillars: Management Services (regulatory compliance, water quality monitoring, emergency response), Utility Billing and Financial Management (billing processing, accounts payable, QuickBooks record keeping), Engineering and Design (planning documents, water system design, water treatment, funding assistance), and specialized compliance modules (Cross-Connection Control, Lead Service Line Inventory, Fire Hydrant Inspections, Treatment Monitoring). The portfolio also includes transaction-related services for real estate and lender documentation. As of early 2017, more than 650 Group A and Group B Public Water Systems rely on NWS services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water System Management (Satellite Management Agency Services) Full operational management of public water systems, including compliance, reporting, and day-to-day oversight, delivered to owners of Group A and Group B Public Water Systems in Washington State.
• Utility Billing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 650 water systems managed as the geographically largest SMA in Washington State
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Duckworth Pump & Well ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuckworth Pump & Well Services is positioned as NWS's 'Partner In The World Of Water' on the company homepage. The partnership provides specialized pump maintenance, repairs, water treatment systems, filters, and RO systems. NWS directs customers with Duckworth-related requests to contact duckworthpump.com. Several staff members (Glenn Prindle, Mat Ten Elshof, Savi Newman) work across both organizations, indicating shared personnel and integrated service delivery for pump and well services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RH2 Engineering: Washington-based engineering firm specializing in municipal water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure; provides planning, design, and rate/financial services to the same small-utility market NWS serves.
• Confluence Engineering: Pacific Northwest water and wastewater engineering firm serving small municipal systems with planning, design, and compliance support directly overlapping NWS's engineering pillar.
• Ackerman Estvold: PNW civil and environmental engineering firm serving municipal water/wastewater clients with compliance, planning, and design services — overlaps NWS engineering offerings and target utilities.
• PACE Utility Partners: Satellite Management Agency providing outsourced utility management, billing, and compliance services to small public water and wastewater systems — directly comparable to NWS in business model and customer segment.

Broad incumbents

• Carollo Engineers: Large environmental engineering firm focused exclusively on water — competes for planning, design, and treatment work on small utilities, though typically at the larger end of the municipal market.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with extensive water/wastewater practice serving municipal utilities — competes for engineering, compliance, and PFAS work that NWS also performs at a small-system level.
• Inframark: Nationwide outsourced operations, maintenance, and billing services for water/wastewater utilities — overlaps NWS on utility billing and O&M services at a much larger scale and geography.
• Utility Service Group (Veolia): Large-scale water and wastewater utility management and outsourcing business within Veolia — broad incumbent in the same operational-services category, but serving much larger utilities nationally rather than the small-system niche NWS dominates.

Others

• FCS Group (now Raftelis): Utility financial and rate consulting firm serving municipal water/wastewater clients — overlaps NWS's financial management and rate-study services with Washington exposure through Raftelis's regional practice.

Regional players

• Murray, Smith & Associates: Engineering consulting firm supporting municipal water/wastewater utilities in the PNW — comparable service mix on the engineering and regulatory side, though more regionally distributed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nwwatersystems
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nw-water-systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Northwest Water Systems