Association for State Water Supply

What Association for State Water Supply does

Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung is a municipal special-purpose association (kommunaler Zweckverband) founded in 1912 by King Wilhelm II of Württemberg and headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. The organization supplies drinking water to approximately 3 million people across Baden-Württemberg and parts of Bavaria, delivering around 100 million cubic meters annually through a diversified multi-source portfolio: 40% Danube river water treated at the Langenau waterworks via a 6-stage process, 40% karst groundwater from Donauried and Burgberg wells, 17% spring water from the Buchbrunnenquelle at the Egau waterworks, and 3% external supply. Distribution occurs through three main transmission pipelines from Langenau to member municipalities including Stuttgart, Ulm, Esslingen, and Ludwigsburg, with automated network control. The organization operates 300+ employees across six locations and runs an in-house Betriebs- und Forschungslabor for water quality analysis.

The business model is a not-for-profit cost-recovery structure: pricing is set only to cover operating costs, with no profit margin, and member municipalities pay based on consumption and infrastructure usage under long-term contracts. Average pricing reference is 2.44 EUR per 1,000 liters in Baden-Württemberg. Customers are exclusively public-sector member municipalities that collectively own the association, creating a closed-loop governance and supply relationship. Revenue mechanics operate on annual subscription-based billing against consumption, with no commercial retail motion. As a governmental charter entity regulated by a state treaty between Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria for cross-border Danube extraction, LW faces structural barriers that prevent competitive entry but also constrain commercial expansion. The current strategic agenda, captured in the LW-Strategie 2030, prioritizes CO2-neutrality by 2030 through renewable energy joint ventures (Windpark Lonsee GmbH with EVF, solar cooperation with GVL) and securing long-term water rights for existing sources whose permits expire at the end of 2027.

Name

Association for State Water Supply

Legal name

Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung

Website

https://lw-online.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung is a Stuttgart-based municipal water utility association, founded in 1912, that supplies approximately 3 million people in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria with 100 million cubic meters of drinking water annually through a multi-source system of Danube river water, karst groundwater, and spring water under a not-for-profit cost-recovery model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE), Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Drinking water supply
• Municipal water utility
• Water treatment services
• Water distribution networks
• Water quality analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Municipal water supply fees: Cost-recovery based pricing model where the organization charges only what is necessary to cover operating costs. Member municipalities pay for water supply services based on consumption and infrastructure usage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung (LW) supplies drinking water to approximately 3 million people across Baden-Württemberg and parts of Bavaria through a multi-source system combining karst groundwater from Donauried and Burgberg, spring water from the Buchbrunnenquelle, and treated Danube river water. Central treatment facilities at Langenau, Egau, and Burgberg waterworks, combined with three main transmission pipelines, deliver around 100 million cubic meters of drinking water annually to member municipalities on a not-for-profit, cost-recovery basis. Supporting offerings include water quality analysis, facility tours, publications, member-only bottled water (LW-Flaschenwasser), a mobile water tasting bar (LW-Trinkwasserbar), pipeline information services (BIL), and renewable energy partnerships to achieve CO2-neutrality by 2030.

Product overview

The Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung operates as a public water utility association supplying drinking water to approximately 3 million people across Baden-Württemberg and parts of Bavaria. The organization operates a unified water supply system comprising three water sources (groundwater, spring water, and Danube river water), central treatment facilities at Langenau, Egau, and Burgberg waterworks, and an extensive pipeline distribution network. Key products include drinking water supply, water treatment, water distribution, and water quality analysis. Supporting services include facility tours, publications, bottled water (LW-Flaschenwasser), mobile water tasting (LW-Trinkwasserbar), pipeline information (BIL), and renewable energy initiatives through wind and solar partnerships. Over 300 employees work across six locations to deliver approximately 100 million cubic meters of drinking water annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drinking Water Supply (Trinkwasserversorgung) Core supply of drinking water from three resources (karst groundwater from Donauried and Burgberg, Buchbrunnenquelle spring water, and treated Danube river water) to approximately 3 million people in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
• Water Treatment (Wasseraufbereitung)

Quantifiable outcome

• Water supply reaches 3 million people in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Energieversorgung Filstal (EVF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2025Long-standing cooperation for secure drinking water supply. Expanded partnership to jointly establish 'Windpark Lonsee GmbH' for renewable energy cooperation. Two wind turbines planned to be operational by 2028 as major step toward CO2 neutrality.
• Windpark Lonsee GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2025Joint venture company co-founded by LW and EVF for wind energy project. Planned wind turbines in Lonsee to power LW operations and achieve CO2 neutrality goals.
• GVL – Gasversorgung Langenau GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2025Cooperation on solar park development around Langenau waterworks. GVL partnering with LW on photovoltaic installation expanding around the water treatment facility.
• State of BavariacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState treaty between Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria for extraction of Danube water. Raw water pumping station located in Leipheim, Bavaria. Treaty enables cross-border water cooperation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zweckverband Wasserversorgung Oberschwaben: Regional Zweckverband supplying drinking water to municipalities in Upper Swabia, also in Baden-Württemberg. Directly comparable as a regional Zweckverband operating in a similar geographic and institutional setting with multi-municipal municipal-ownership governance.
• Bodensee-Wasserversorgung: Zweckverband that supplies drinking water from Lake Constance to around 4 million people across large parts of Baden-Württemberg. Directly comparable as another long-distance regional Zweckverband in the same German state, with overlapping service territory and similar multi-municipal municipal-ownership structure.

Broad incumbents

• Stadtwerke Stuttgart GmbH: Municipal multi-utility of Stuttgart, one of LW's largest end-customer municipalities. Comparable as a local water and energy utility in the same geography, though broader in scope (energy, public transport) and not focused on long-distance regional water supply.
• EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG: Stuttgart-headquartered energy group with water/wastewater subsidiary operations across Baden-Württemberg. Comparable as a Baden-Württemberg-based infrastructure utility with overlapping customer base and partnership potential (LW already works with EVF/EnBW ecosystem).
• Veolia Deutschland GmbH: German arm of global water and environmental services group Veolia, operating municipal water supply and wastewater contracts across Germany. Comparable as an operator of municipal water infrastructure at scale, though structured as a private operator rather than a municipal Zweckverband.
• Hamburger Wasserwerke GmbH: Hamburg's municipal water utility serving around 1.8 million people with drinking water supply. Comparable as a major German city-state water utility operating significant treatment and distribution infrastructure.
• Mainova AG: Frankfurt am Main's municipal multi-utility supplying water, energy, and related services to the Rhine-Main region. Comparable as a German municipal utility operating large-scale drinking water treatment and distribution infrastructure.
• Gelsenwasser AG: One of Germany's largest water utilities, supplying drinking water to multiple municipalities across North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond. Comparable as a major German municipal water utility, though structured as a corporation rather than a Zweckverband and operating in a different geography.
• Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB): Berlin's municipal water utility, supplying drinking water and wastewater services to ~3.6 million residents. Comparable as a large German municipal water utility with a similarly sized customer base, though focused on a single city and including wastewater operations.

Regional players

• Zweckverband Fernwasserversorgung Franken: Long-distance regional water supply Zweckverband serving parts of Franconia in northern Bavaria. Comparable as a Bavarian Zweckverband operating regional long-distance water supply under a similar municipal-ownership governance model, though serving a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBQSu8pG9suNHGqvqk2sUUg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zweckverband-landeswasserversorgung
• Instagraminstagram.com/landeswasserversorgung_bw
• Facebookfacebook.com/131227774108299

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Association for State Water Supply