Bristol County Water Authority

What Bristol County Water Authority does

Bristol County Water Authority (BCWA) is a quasi-governmental public water utility formed by Rhode Island state legislation in 1984 and operational since its November 1986 purchase of the legacy Bristol County Water Company. BCWA provides potable water supply and distribution services to over 17,000 metered customers across Bristol, Warren, and Barrington, Rhode Island, covering an estimated population of 49,000 within a 25-square-mile service territory at the northern end of Narragansett Bay. Since December 1998, BCWA has purchased 100% of its treated water from the Providence Water Supply Board and conveyed it through the East Bay Pipeline, a cross-bay infrastructure asset located 160 feet below the Providence River. The original Child Street Water Treatment Plant was decommissioned in 2011 due to a $60 million upgrade requirement, leaving BCWA as a distribution-only utility dependent on wholesale supply from Providence Water. The current average system demand is approximately 3.4-3.5 million gallons per day.

BCWA's technology stack consists of Neptune E-Coder smart meters with automated meter reading (AMR), a SCADA system upgrade for infrastructure monitoring, and the East Bay Pipeline plus the recently activated Pawtucket Pipeline Phase I (1.5-mile, 24-inch pipe completed June 2022 at a $5.9 million final cost, providing up to 6 MGD of backup capacity). The utility is governed by a Board of Directors with town-level representation and operates under a rolling five-year strategic plan updated biennially. Customer-facing channels include a website with English, Portuguese, and Spanish language support, an online payment portal, in-person payment at 450 Child Street, Warren, Rhode Island, and a 24/7 emergency hotline.

BCWA generates revenue through quarterly water service charges billed to metered customers, with rates set annually via public hearings. Pricing is usage-based with service connection fees, late payment fees, and meter replacement fees layered on top. The go-to-market is structural rather than commercial: as the legislatively designated exclusive water provider for its service area, BCWA acquires customers through municipal franchise rather than sales. Residential customers use approximately 44 gallons per person per day, well below national averages, indicating strong conservation behavior. Strategic priorities center on supply redundancy (Pawtucket Pipeline Phase II in design at an estimated ~$50 million), emergency interconnections with East Providence and Swansea Water District, regulatory compliance including lead service line inventory and PFAS monitoring, and rate-funded capital investment in distribution infrastructure.

Name

Bristol County Water Authority

Legal name

Bristol County Water Authority

Website

https://bcwari.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bristol County Water Authority is a Rhode Island quasi-governmental public water utility that purchases treated wholesale water and distributes it to over 17,000 metered residential, commercial, and industrial customers across Bristol, Warren, and Barrington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Aqueducts, Canals & Pipeline-Canal Hybrid Conveyance Systems (Interbasin) (TLAGAHAK)

Keywords

• Municipal water utility
• Potable water supply
• Water distribution services
• Water metering billing
• Water quality reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Warren, RI

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Service Fees: BCWA generates revenue through quarterly water service charges to over 17,000 customers in Bristol, Warren, and Barrington, Rhode Island. Revenue is derived from water consumption fees based on metered usage, with average demand of approximately 3.5 million gallons per day. The utility also charges service connection fees, late payment fees, and meter replacement fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bristol County Water Authority is a public water utility that provides potable water supply and distribution services to over 17,000 metered residential, commercial, and light industrial customers across 25 square miles in Bristol, Warren, and Barrington, Rhode Island. The utility purchases treated water from the Providence Water Supply Board via the East Bay Pipeline and delivers it through a metered distribution network, handling billing, customer service, water quality reporting, lead and PFAS monitoring, and emergency response.

Product overview

Bristol County Water Authority is a public water utility that provides potable water supply and distribution services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Bristol, Warren, and Barrington, Rhode Island. The authority operates as a single, unified water utility service rather than a platform with modular products. Core services include water supply sourcing (purchased from Providence Water Supply Board), water distribution through pipeline infrastructure, meter reading and billing, emergency water services, and regulatory compliance including water quality reporting and lead service line management. The organization does not offer distinct software products, SaaS offerings, or branded product lines—its offering consists entirely of regulated water utility services delivered to end consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 44 gallons of water used per person per day (vs. 100+ gallons for other utilities)

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

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, major and minor.

• Pawtucket Water Supply BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017BCWA is developing a secondary water supply connection to Pawtucket Water through the Pawtucket Pipeline Project. Pawtucket's updated water treatment plant can yield 22 million gallons per day. Phase I (1.5 mile, 24-inch pipe to East Providence) was completed in mid-2022 at $5.9 million. Phase II (5 mile, 30-inch pipe) is in design with estimated costs approaching $50 million.
• Providence Water Supply BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998BCWA obtains 100% of its water supply from the Providence Water Supply Board's Scituate Reservoir. Treated water is conveyed through the East Bay Pipeline completed in 1998. Providence Water actively manages the watershed through forestry management, resident education programs, and patrols.
• City of East ProvidencemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency interconnection providing 2 MGD backup supply. East Providence also relies on a single pipeline from Providence Water crossing under Providence River. East Providence has agreed to cost-share with BCWA for Pawtucket Pipeline design costs of $1.5 million and may join the project for cost-sharing.
• Swansea Water District (Massachusetts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency interconnection in process providing approximately 1 million gallons per day of backup supply capacity.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Water North America: Private division of Veolia operating water and wastewater contracts for municipalities across North America. Comparable in operating municipal water systems, though typically under contract rather than as a franchise authority.
• California Water Service Group: Investor-owned water utility serving regulated service areas in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Washington. Comparable regulated water utility business model with similar customer mix of residential and commercial users.
• American Water Works Company: Largest US investor-owned water and wastewater utility, serving over 14 million people. Comparable core business of regulated water delivery, but vastly larger scale and publicly traded vs. BCWA's municipal authority structure.
• Aqua America (Essential Utilities): Investor-owned water and natural gas utility serving millions of customers across multiple states. Comparable regulated water delivery model with overlapping municipal customer base, though much larger and geographically diversified.

Direct peers

• Pawtucket Water Supply Board: Rhode Island municipal water utility and BCWA's partner on the Pawtucket Pipeline Project. Comparable as a small municipal water utility serving Rhode Island residents with similar regulatory and operational profile.
• Swansea Water District: Massachusetts water district with an emergency interconnection to BCWA. Comparable small-scale water utility operation across a neighboring state line with similar customer profile.
• Newport Water Department: Municipal water utility serving Newport, Rhode Island with comparable residential/commercial mix and small-scale operations. Similar regulatory environment and rate-setting process.
• Providence Water Supply Board: Wholesale supplier partner and direct comparable water utility in Rhode Island, operating the Scituate Reservoir and 140 MGD treatment plant. Highly comparable in service model, regulatory environment, and geography, though much larger in scale.
• Kent County Water Authority: Rhode Island public water authority serving a similar suburban/residential customer base. Most directly comparable in size, governance structure, and regulatory regime to BCWA.
• East Providence Water Utility: Neighboring Rhode Island water utility that shares the East Bay Pipeline and has a 2 MGD emergency interconnection with BCWA. Highly comparable in scale, geography, and supply infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKBYyO-2mTicYOm43sIwcng
• Facebookfacebook.com/BristolCountyWaterAuthority
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bristol-county-water-authority

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 Bristol County Water Authority