Wasserwerk Stelle

What Wasserwerk Stelle does

Wasserwerk Stelle eG is a registered cooperative (eingetragene Genossenschaft) founded in 1911 and headquartered at Uhlenhorst 7, 21435 Stelle, Germany. It operates as the municipal water utility for the municipality of Stelle, providing drinking water via groundwater extraction, treatment, storage, and pipeline distribution to residential property owners (who are required to be cooperative members), commercial and agricultural users, and selected public-sector customers such as Wassergemeinschaft Achterdeich. The service area is a single German municipality with no disclosed global footprint.

The utility's core technology is a municipal groundwater extraction and treatment system. Three active wells (two at 80m depth on the pumping site, and Well 3 at 120m depth at Uhlenhorst 2a, plus a newly drilled Well 4 in 2023 after decommissioning Well 2) feed raw water through an aeration step that oxidizes iron and manganese, then through steel filter kettles containing 15 tonnes of special gravel, before the cleaned water is stored in a 350 m³ two-chamber tank and distributed via approximately 40 km of pipeline network operating at a regular pressure of 6 bar (up to 8 bar). Pump control has been digital via frequency converters since 2004, adjusting pump speed to real-time network consumption. Permits allow extraction of up to 550,000 m³ per year, with a recorded peak of 2,525 m³ in a single day. Materials and installations comply with DVGW technical standards.

The business model combines recurring and one-time revenue streams directed at member-customers. Recurring revenue comes from water supply fees (€1.05/m³ for members, €1.10/m³ for non-members; prices effective January 1, 2024) plus a basic fee of €3.75–€37.40 per month depending on meter size. One-time revenue includes connection fees (€350 plus €150 per apartment for residential, tiered industrial/commercial rates), construction cost contributions, and cooperative membership share payments (€25 per share with 10% immediate payment, €250 liability per share). Late-payment and lock/unlock fees add ancillary revenue. The cooperative is audited by Genossenschaftsverband e.V. (Hannover), with an additional emergency supply arrangement via Wasserbeschaffungsverband Harburg. Operations are supported by IONOS SE for website hosting and Firma Grebenstein for meter replacement work; all infrastructure sits within a single small-municipality service area.

Name

Wasserwerk Stelle

Legal name

Wasserwerk Stelle eG

Website

https://wasserwerk-stelle.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wasserwerk Stelle eG is a member-owned cooperative municipal water utility, founded in 1911 in Stelle, Germany, that extracts, treats, and distributes drinking water through a ~40 km pipeline network to residential, commercial, agricultural, and public-sector customers in the municipality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water Supply

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Groundwater Extraction, Treatment & Discharge (Pump-and-Treat, reinjection) (BPALAKAF)

Keywords

• Municipal water supply
• Drinking water services
• Water distribution
• Water utility cooperative
• Groundwater treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Stelle

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Water Supply Fees: Revenue from water delivery charges based on cubic meter consumption plus a basic fee based on meter size. Members pay €1.05/m³, non-members €1.10/m³. Basic fees range from €3.75 to €37.40/month depending on meter capacity (Q3=4 to 80mm).
2. Connection and Construction Fees: One-time connection fees including connection charge of €350 for properties on existing supply lines, €150 per additional apartment, and construction cost contributions (BKZ). Industrial/commercial properties pay €500 for up to 300m² plus €150 per additional 100m² and €150 per apartment.
3. Membership Fees: Property owners are required to become members of the cooperative. Business share (Geschäftsanteil) is €25 per share with 10% immediate payment required. Liability sum is €250 per share.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wasserwerk Stelle eG is a municipal water utility cooperative that extracts groundwater from three wells, treats it through iron/manganese oxidation and gravel filtration, stores it in a 350 m³ clean water tank, and distributes it via an approximately 40 km pipeline network to residential, commercial, and agricultural customers in Stelle, Germany. The cooperative manages the entire water supply chain, from well to consumer meter, including connection services, meter reading, and emergency repairs.

Product overview

Wasserwerk Stelle eG is a registered cooperative (eingetragene Genossenschaft) providing centralized drinking water supply services to the community of Stelle, Germany. The organization operates as a single, unified utility service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is Trinkwasserversorgung (drinking water supply), which encompasses groundwater extraction from multiple wells, water treatment via filtration systems, storage in reinwasserbehälter (clean water tanks), and distribution through the local pipe network to end consumers. Supplementary services include water meter management, technical connection regulations, water quality reporting, and administrative forms for new connections and meter readings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drinking Water Supply (Trinkwasserversorgung)

Quantifiable outcome

• Highest daily pumping recorded: 2,525 m³ (July 24)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Genossenschaftsverband e.V.coreOthersPrüfungsverband (audit association) responsible for legally required audits of the cooperative. Located at Mailänder Straße 4a, 30539 Hannover. The cooperative is a member of Genossenschaftsverband Norddeutschland e.V. according to the Satzung §48.
• Wasserbeschaffungsverband HarburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency interconnection at the intersection of Unter den Linden / Bardenweg for backup water supply. Currently unused but operational at any time. A handover station was installed in Bardenweg in 2018.
• Firma GrebensteinminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal company contracted by the waterworks to perform water meter replacements throughout the supply area.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• GELSENWASSER AG: Regional water supply company in North Rhine-Westphalia serving multiple municipalities; comparable as a German groundwater-dependent water utility operating under regulated tariffs with municipal shareholders.
• HAMBURG WASSER: Municipal water and wastewater utility serving the city-state of Hamburg; comparable as a large German municipal water supplier with regulated rate base, groundwater and surface water sources, and analogous infrastructure and treatment scope.
• Berliner Wasserbetriebe: Berlin's municipal water utility serving ~3.6 million residents; comparable as a major German municipal water supplier with groundwater extraction, treatment, and distribution across a large metropolitan network.
• Stadtwerke München (Münchner Wasser): Munich's municipal multi-utility with a regulated water division (Münchner Wasser) supplying drinking water from alpine sources; comparable as a German municipal water operator with extraction permits, treatment facilities, and pipeline network.

Regional players

• Wasserverband Eifel-Rur: Regional water association supplying parts of North Rhine-Westphalia; comparable as a German inter-municipal water supplier with extraction permits, treatment facilities, and an extensive pipeline network.
• Stadtwerke Bonn (bonnGmbH - SWB Wasser): Municipal multi-utility of Bonn with a regulated water division supplying drinking water; comparable as a mid-sized German municipal water operator with groundwater extraction, treatment, and pipeline distribution within a defined concession area.
• Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung Baden-Württemberg: Inter-municipal water supply association serving much of Baden-Württemberg; comparable as a German regional water utility combining groundwater and surface water with treatment and long-distance pipeline transport.
• Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV): Water supply association serving northwest Lower Saxony and parts of the surrounding region; comparable as a northern German cooperative-style regional water utility operating wells, treatment plants, and distribution networks.
• EWE Wasser GmbH: Water utility subsidiary of EWE AG serving parts of northwestern Lower Saxony, Bremen, and Brandenburg; comparable as a regional German water supplier operating groundwater-fed networks under regulated tariffs.

Direct peers

• Wasserbeschaffungsverband Harburg: Regional water supply association covering the Harburg area, directly comparable as a nearby northern German groundwater-based water utility with a public-law membership structure and emergency interconnection with Wasserwerk Stelle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Wasserwerk Stelle