Pawtucket Water Supply Board

What Pawtucket Water Supply Board does

The Pawtucket Water Supply Board (PWSB) is a municipal water utility operating as a semi-autonomous extension of the City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. PWSB provides potable water service to approximately 99,000 customers across roughly 23,000 service connections in the Cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls, and wholesale supplies the Town of Cumberland. The organization traces its operational history to 1878 when the City of Pawtucket first began supplying water; PWSB as a governing entity was established in the early 1970s with an appointed board of directors. Headcount consists of 53 Operations & Maintenance employees, a small operating base relative to the embedded customer footprint.

PWSB's core delivery system combines a 25 MGD state-of-the-art surface water treatment facility commissioned in 2008 (using up-flow clarifiers, deep bed granulated/activated carbon filters, ultraviolet disinfection, and chemical treatment), 272 miles of replaced/relined transmission and distribution mains, 4.83 billion gallons of combined reservoir storage across Diamond Hill and Arnolds Mills Reservoirs, and 17,536 acres of Abbott Run watershed (with 2,046 acres owned by PWSB). Distribution is supported by Advanced Metering Infrastructure using radio-based remote meter reading, the Neptune My360 consumer portal for usage monitoring and leak alerts, a Lead and Lead Service Line Replacement Program, PFAS testing and reporting, and an optional Water Line Protection Plan.

Revenue is generated primarily through regulated monthly water service fees from residential, commercial, and industrial customers, supplemented by a wholesale water supply contract with the Town of Cumberland. The product mix spans core water supply, water quality services (PFAS, lead compliance, consumer confidence reporting), AMI/self-service portal access, mains maintenance via unidirectional flushing, and supplementary protection plans. Distribution is entirely direct — through owned infrastructure — and customer interaction is multi-channel (web portal, phone, social media). As a government-state entity, PWSB is not privately held or venture-backed; capital programs of $10+ million annually are funded through rates and (implicitly) municipal issuance rather than equity investment.

Name

Pawtucket Water Supply Board

Legal name

Pawtucket Water Supply Board

Website

https://pwsb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1878

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pawtucket Water Supply Board is a municipal water utility serving about 99,000 customers across Pawtucket, Central Falls, and the Valley Falls section of Cumberland, Rhode Island, operating a 25 MGD treatment plant, 272 miles of distribution mains, and AMI-enabled customer services through a regulated recurring-fee model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water Utility

NAICS

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

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Drinking Water Distribution Network Operations (Mains, Valves, Hydrants, Service Lines) (EUANAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Potable Water Treatment & Conditioning (Filtration, Disinfection, Corrosion Control) (EUANAAAC), Treated Water Storage & Pressure Management (Reservoirs, Tanks, Booster Stations) (EUANAAAD), Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Municipal water utility
• Potable water supply
• Water treatment services
• Water distribution network
• Water quality management

Headquarters

HQ city

Pawtucket

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Service Fees: Revenue from providing potable water to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Billing includes water usage charges and service fees.
2. Wholesale Water Supply: Revenue from selling water wholesale to the Town of Cumberland

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Pawtucket Water Supply Board provides reliable, safe, and affordable potable water to approximately 99,000+ customers across 23,000 service connections in Pawtucket, Central Falls, and parts of Cumberland, Rhode Island. The utility treats surface water sourced from the 17,536-acre Abbott Run watershed at a 25 MGD state-of-the-art treatment plant (commissioned 2008) and distributes it through 272 miles of transmission and distribution mains. Supporting services include Advanced Metering Infrastructure, the Neptune My360 consumer portal, water quality management (PFAS and lead compliance), water main flushing programs, and an optional Water Line Protection Plan.

Product overview

Pawtucket Water Supply Board operates as a water utility providing a unified water supply service to residential and commercial customers. The core offering is potable water delivery supported by infrastructure including a 2008 state-of-the-art treatment facility (25 MGD capacity) and distribution system with 272 miles of mains. The product portfolio includes Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) with Neptune My360 customer portal for real-time usage monitoring, water quality management (including PFAS and lead compliance), water main maintenance via unidirectional flushing, and optional Water Line Protection Plans. Services are accessible through online billing, customer portal, and various customer service channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Potable Water Supply Service Core potable water delivery service providing treated water to approximately 99,000+ customers across 23,000 service connections in Pawtucket, Central Falls, and parts of Cumberland, Rhode Island, through a 272-mile distribution network sourced from the Abbott Run watershed.
• Wholesale Water Supply Wholesale potable water supply provided to the Town of Cumberland for the Valley Falls service area, sold on a recurring subscription basis under an inter-municipal arrangement.
• Water Line Protection Plan Optional coverage plan offered to residential customers that protects against costly water line repairs on the customer side of the service connection.
• Cross Connection Control / Backflow Prevention Program Compliance program for commercial customers covering cross connection control and backflow prevention to protect the potable water distribution system from contamination.
• New Water Service Application Application and connection service for new water service installations, supporting builders, contractors, and new property owners requesting water service activation.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Town of CumberlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPWSB works cooperatively with the Town of Cumberland to protect water quality in the Abbott Run watershed area. Town of Cumberland purchases wholesale water from PWSB.
• Cumberland Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPWSB works cooperatively with Cumberland Land Trust to protect source water quality in the watershed area.
• EPA WaterSenseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPWSB participates as an EPA WaterSense Partner Program member, promoting water efficiency information to customers.
• AWWA WaterWiserminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPWSB refers customers to AWWA WaterWiser - The Water Efficiency Clearinghouse for water saving information.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Badger Meter: Major supplier of smart water meters and AMI platforms to North American utilities. Comparable as an enabling technology vendor for the same metering and leak-detection use cases PWSB has deployed.
• Neptune Technology Group: Supplier of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and meter-reading systems. PWSB uses Neptune's My360 consumer portal/metering hardware, making Neptune a direct technology enabler and supply chain peer.

Broad incumbents

• Suez Water (now Veolia): Global water services operator with U.S. municipal contracts. Comparable in providing water treatment operations and is a likely technical partner or bidder for municipal treatment outsourcing.
• American Water Works Company: Largest U.S. investor-owned water and wastewater utility. Comparable core business in regulated water delivery, AMI deployment, and capital program execution; could serve as a benchmark or partner for operational best practices.
• Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA): Large regional water and wastewater authority serving greater Boston. Comparable in treatment technology and wholesale supply model, though considerably larger in scale.
• Veolia Water North America: Large private operator of municipal water and wastewater systems under concession/O&M contracts. Compares on asset scale and treatment technology, and serves as a potential partner or acquirer for outsourced utility operations.

Regional players

• Providence Water Supply Board: Adjacent municipal water utility serving Providence and northern Rhode Island communities. Comparable as a Rhode Island surface-water supplier with similar treatment, distribution, and wholesale customer profile.
• Newport Water Department: Public water utility serving Newport, RI and surrounding areas. Directly comparable as a small-to-mid municipal water provider in Rhode Island with similar regulatory and customer mix.

Direct peers

• Aquarion Water Company of Rhode Island: Investor-owned water utility serving portions of Rhode Island. Comparable in scale and service offering, with the same core business of metered potable water delivery and treatment.
• SVWC (Bristol Water): Water utility holding company with New England operations including Bristol Water. Comparable as a regulated water utility serving residential and commercial customers in the region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PawtucketH2O
• Facebookfacebook.com/PawtucketH2O
• Instagraminstagram.com/pawtucketwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pawtucket-water-supply-board

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Pawtucket Water Supply Board