EMASA - Empresa Municipal de Água e Saneamento

What EMASA - Empresa Municipal de Água e Saneamento does

EMASA – Empresa Municipal de Água e Saneamento S/A is a mixed-economy municipal company (sociedade de economia mista) founded on August 28, 1989, and majority-owned (99.85% of share capital, controlling voting shares) by the Municipality of Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil. It holds the exclusive concession for water supply and sanitary sewage services in Itabuna, serving approximately 185,000 residents under regulation by ARSEPI (Agência de Regulação dos Serviços Públicos de Itabuna). The company's operations span the full sanitation value chain: water capture (Rio do Braço, Nova Ferradas), treatment at the main ETA São Lourenço station, distribution through a municipality-wide network, sewage collection via seven pumping stations (EEE-I through EEE-VII), and treatment at multiple ETEs employing DAFA (Digestor Anaeróbio de Fluxo Ascendente) technology. EMASA also operates an in-house laboratory conducting daily water quality analyses in compliance with Ministry of Health standards.

The company employs 56 staff and generates revenue primarily through regulated monthly tariffs for water supply and sanitary sewage across residential, commercial, and industrial customers, billed via a Virtual Agency, mobile application, WhatsApp channel, 0800 hotline, and physical store. Tariffs are set under Municipal Decree authority and were revised by 7.5% in December 2025 (Decree 16.656/2025) — the first adjustment since 2020-2023. Recent strategic activity includes over R$100 million in infrastructure investment across the Mais Água para a Cidade program (phases I-III), macrodrainage urbanization (R$32 million), sewage expansion in Daniel Gomes, Novo Lomanto, and Nova Califórnia (nearly R$20 million), and a successful debt renegotiation that reduced a R$91 million Receita Federal liability to approximately R$26 million. The company is currently governed by president Tauan Sampaio (a civil and sanitary engineer appointed January 2026), with oversight from a Board of Directors chaired by municipal Infrastructure Secretary Sônia Fontes, and is subject to TCM-BA supervision and the Lei das Estatais (Law 13.303/2016).

Name

EMASA - Empresa Municipal de Água e Saneamento

Legal name

Empresa Municipal de Águas e Saneamento S/A – Emasa

Website

https://emasaitabuna.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

EMASA is the exclusive municipal water and sewage utility serving approximately 185,000 residents of Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil, under ARSEPI regulation. It operates water capture stations, the ETA São Lourenço treatment plant, pumping stations, ETEs, and an in-house water quality laboratory, generating revenue through regulated monthly tariffs on a 99.85% municipality-owned concession.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water and Sewage Utilities

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Wastewater & Effluent Treatment Services (BPALAHAD), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB)

Keywords

• Municipal water supply
• Sanitary sewage services
• Water treatment utilities
• Urban sanitation infrastructure
• Sewage collection treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Itabuna

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Water supply tariff: Revenue generated from water supply tariffs charged to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Itabuna, regulated by ARSEPI and authorized via municipal decree.
2. Sanitary sewage tariff: Revenue from sanitary sewage collection and treatment services, charged via the same regulated tariff structure as water supply.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EMASA operates a regulated municipal water supply and sanitary sewage utility service for the city of Itabuna, Bahia. The company captures, treats, and distributes potable water to residential, commercial, and industrial customers through owned water treatment stations (ETA), sewage pumping stations (EEE), and sewage treatment plants (ETE) using DAFA technology. Revenue is generated through monthly regulated tariffs covering water supply and sewage collection services, complemented by infrastructure expansion programs and community outreach services.

Product overview

EMASA operates as a municipal public utility providing integrated water supply and sanitary sewage services for Itabuna, Bahia. The company operates water capture stations (including Rio do Braço and Nova Ferradas), a main Water Treatment Station (ETA São Lourenço), multiple sewage pumping stations (EEE-I through EEE-VII), and sewage treatment facilities (ETE). Core services include water production and distribution, sewage collection and treatment, and customer management. Infrastructure programs include the multi-phase 'Mais Água para a Cidade' expansion initiative (phases I, II, and III), while customer-facing programs include 'EMASA Mais Perto' for community outreach and 'EMASA Legal' for debt renegotiation. Digital channels encompass virtual agency, second-via billing, WhatsApp support, and mobile application services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EMASA Mais Perto: Community outreach program that brings EMASA services directly to neighborhoods and associations, offering debt regularization, account updates, and bill review.
• EMASA Legal

Products and services

• Abastecimento de Água (Water Supply) Water capture, treatment, and distribution services providing continuous access to treated water for residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Itabuna, Bahia, delivered via the main Water Treatment Station and a distribution network across all municipality neighborhoods.
• Esgotamento Sanitário (Sanitary Sewage) Collection, transport, and treatment of sanitary sewage for the municipality, including maintenance of sewer networks, sewage pumping stations (EEE), and sewage treatment stations (ETE) using DAFA (Digestor Anaeróbio de Fluxo Ascendente) technology.
• Programa Mais Água para a Cidade Multi-phase infrastructure expansion program for water supply universalization serving various neighborhoods and zones of Itabuna, currently in phases I, II, and III.
• EMASA Mais Perto Community outreach program that brings EMASA services directly to neighborhoods and associations, offering debt regularization, registration updates, and bill revisions at local sites.
• EMASA Legal Debt renegotiation program offering facilitated conditions for settling water and sewage service arrears, with discounts, interest waivers, and extended payment plans.
• Agência Virtual e Segunda Via Digital customer service channels including the virtual agency portal for bill payment (segunda via), account management, tariff information, and customer support via phone, WhatsApp, and EMASA Itabuna – Cidadão mobile application.

Quantifiable outcome

• Infrastructure investment exceeding R$100 million in structural sanitation works
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UFSB (Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Partnership for technical-scientific cooperation focused on developing sanitation projects in Itabuna, including applied research, technical project development, sustainable solutions for communities, and pilot sanitation projects. Involves the Pro-Rector Nadson Ressyé and Professor Abílio Procópio of the Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate program.
• AGRAFAM (Associação Grapiúna dos Agricultores Familiar de Itabuna)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025EMASA technical staff conducted a site visit to study the implantation of a water supply network for the AGRAFAM settlement, which houses 62 farming families engaged in horticultural production for the Federal Government's Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos and local markets.
• AACRRI (Associação de Agentes Ambientais e Catadores de Materiais Reutilizáveis e Recicláveis de Itabuna)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the EMASA Mais Perto program, bringing water and sewage services (debt regularization, account updates, meter connections) directly to environmental agents and waste pickers at the association's headquarters, reducing barriers to accessing formal service channels.
• UESC (Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMASA received a UESC team to collaborate on developing a Risk Management and Reduction Plan for Itabuna, indicating cooperation between the utility and the state university on environmental planning.
• 4º GBM (4º Batalhão de Bombeiros Militar)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMASA and the 4th Military Fire Battalion collaborated on resuming the installation of new fire hydrants in Itabuna, as well as participating in a Civil Defense and Fire Safety seminar hosted by the battalion.
• ARSEPI (Agência de Regulação dos Serviços Públicos de Itabuna)coreOthersARSEPI is the regulatory body that controls and regulates EMASA's public services, ensuring compliance with technical, tariff, and contractual standards. Directors of ARSEPI visited the Water Treatment Station as part of ongoing regulatory engagement.
• SESOP and security forcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegrated operation with the Secretaria de Segurança e Ordem Pública (SESOP), Municipal Civil Guard, and DRFR (Polícia Civil) to combat theft and reception of meters, including inspections at seven scrap yards.
• GRESE (Grêmio Recreativo Esportivo dos Servidores da EMASA)minorOthersEmployee recreational association representing 185 members, providing benefits including dental plan, gas, optics, clothing, Vale Mais card, and access to Itabuna Esporte Clube.
• RCI Construção e Meio Ambiente LtdacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRCI Construção e Meio Ambiente Ltda was the winning bidder in EMASA's public procurement process for the complete requalification and modernization of EEE-V and restoration of Ponte Góes Calmon, valued at approximately R$2 million with a 180-day execution timeline.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sanepar (Companhia de Saneamento do Paraná): State-level water and sewage utility for Paraná, listed on B3. Comparable regulated utility model, water/sewage tariff structure, and infrastructure capex approach to EMASA, but with a much larger customer base and listed-company governance.
• Corsan (Companhia Riograndense de Saneamento): State-level water and sewage utility for Rio Grande do Sul, now under private management (Aegea). Comparable in regulated utility model, tariff structure, and operational scope to EMASA, though with substantially broader geographic coverage.
• Águas do Rio: Private-sector water and sewage operator serving multiple municipalities in Rio de Janeiro state under concession contracts. Comparable to EMASA in regulated utility operations, customer-base expansion through formalization, and infrastructure capex programs.
• Aegea Saneamento: Private-sector water and sewage operator with concessions across multiple Brazilian states. Comparable to EMASA in delivering regulated water/sewage services through concession contracts and operating under the same national legal framework.
• Iguá Saneamento: Private-sector water and sewage operator active in multiple Brazilian states. Comparable to EMASA in concession-based model, regulated tariff structure, and infrastructure investment cycles, but operates at a larger, multi-state scale.
• BRK Ambiental: Private-sector water and sewage operator with municipal and regional concessions across Brazil. Comparable to EMASA in concession-based water/sewage service delivery and exposure to Brazilian regulatory and infrastructure risk.
• Copasa (Companhia de Saneamento de Minas Gerais): State-level water and sewage utility for Minas Gerais. Comparable business model to EMASA as a regulated concessionaire providing integrated water supply and sewage services, though at much greater scale and geographic scope.
• SABESP (Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo): Large state-level water and sewage utility serving São Paulo state. Comparable to EMASA as a regulated Brazilian water/sewage concessionaire operating under the Marco Legal do Saneamento Básico, but at vastly greater scale.
• Cagece (Companhia de Água e Esgoto do Ceará): State-level water and sewage utility for Ceará. Comparable to EMASA in offering regulated water/sewage tariffs, infrastructure capex programs, and operating under the national Basic Sanitation Legal Framework.

Direct peers

• EMBASA (Empresa Baiana de Águas e Saneamento): State-level water and sewage utility for Bahia, operating across most of the state. EMASA was effectively carved out of EMBASA when Itabuna municipalized its services in 1989, and the two share regulatory, geographic, and operational models, with EMBASA still serving most other Bahia municipalities.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emasa-empresa-municipal-de-%C3%A1guas-e-saneamento

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about EMASA - Empresa Municipal de Água e Saneamento