Emcandelaria

What Emcandelaria does

Emcandelaria, legally Empresas Públicas Municipales de Candelaria S.A.S E.S.P., is a municipal public utilities company domiciled in Candelaria, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Founded by municipal decree in 1991 and operational since January 1993, it is owned by the Municipality of Candelaria and operates under Colombia's Law 142 of 1994 as an Industrial and Commercial Enterprise of the State. The company provides three core services: potable water distribution (acueducto), sewage collection (alcantarillado), and wastewater treatment through PTAR facilities, serving five corregimientos: Villa Gorgona, El Cabuyal, El Tiple, Vereda Guali, and El Carmelo. Its underlying technology consists of conventional water and wastewater infrastructure—water tanks, pumping stations, sewage networks, and treatment plants—rather than software or digital platforms.

Emcandelaria monetizes its services through monthly recurring subscription-style tariffs for residential water and sewerage customers, regulated by Resolution No. 074 of December 15, 2020. Additional revenue comes from one-time fees for new service connections, feasibility studies, and availability certificates required for urban development licenses—targeted at property developers and construction projects. Distribution occurs through two physical service centers (headquarters in Villagorgona and branch in El Carmelo), an online payment portal via PSE (Pagos Seguros en Línea), a 24-hour WhatsApp damage-reporting line, and a PQRSF citizen portal for complaints and requests. Since 2020, the company has operated a joint billing agreement (Facturación Conjunta) with regional utility Acuavalle.

The organization runs with approximately 6-10 staff members under General Manager Natty Mithchelle Leonel Martinez and is subject to multiple oversight bodies: Contraloría General de la República, Contraloría Departamental del Valle del Cauca, Procuraduría Departamental, Personería Municipal de Candelaria, Comisión de Regulación de Agua Potable y Saneamiento Básico (CRA), and Superintendencia de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios. Following a prior 2007 liquidation decree that was not ultimately executed, the company has remained in continuous operation while undergoing structural transformation; its Aseo and public lighting operations were divested in 1998-1999, leaving water and sewerage as its sole business lines.

Name

Emcandelaria

Legal name

Empresas Públicas Municipales De Candelaria S.A.S E.S.P

Website

https://emcandelaria.gov.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Emcandelaria is a government-owned municipal utility providing potable water, sewage collection, and wastewater treatment to five corregimientos of Candelaria, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, under a regulated monopoly franchise governed by Colombian Law 142 of 1994.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Candelaria

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Water Supply Services (Acueducto): Monthly billing for potable water distribution to residential users in the municipalities and corregimientos of Villa Gorgona, El Cabuyal, El Tiple, Vereda Guali, and El Carmelo
2. Sewerage and Wastewater Treatment (Alcantarillado): Monthly billing for sewage collection and wastewater treatment services
3. Service Connection Fees: Fees for new service connections, feasibility studies, and availability certificates for urban licenses and development projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Emcandelaria is a municipal public utilities company (Empresas Públicas Municipales de Candelaria S.A.S E.S.P.) that provides domiciliary public services including potable water distribution (acueducto), sewage collection (alcantarillado), and wastewater treatment (PTAR) to residential and commercial customers in Candelaria, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The company operates physical service centers, an online bill payment system via PSE, a citizen service portal (PQRSF), and service feasibility/availability certification for new connections, supporting five corregimientos (Villa Gorgona, El Cabuyal, El Tiple, Vereda Guali, and El Carmelo).

Product overview

Emcandelaria is a municipal public utilities company (Empresas Públicas Municipales de Candelaria S.A.S E.S.P.) that operates as a unified service portfolio providing water supply (acueducto), sewage collection (alcantarillado), and wastewater treatment (PTAR) services to the municipality of Candelaria, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The company offers six interconnected services: core water distribution, sewage collection, and treatment infrastructure as its primary public utility functions, supplemented by an online bill payment system via PSE, a citizen complaints and requests portal (PQRSF), and service feasibility certifications for new construction projects. The products function as an integrated municipal utility offering rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Acueducto (Water Supply Service) Municipal potable water distribution, connection, and metering service for residential and commercial customers in Candelaria, Valle del Cauca, including five corregimientos (Villa Gorgona, El Cabuyal, El Tiple, Vereda Guali, El Carmelo).
• Alcantarillado (Sewage Collection Service) Municipal sewage collection service through underground pipelines and conduits, transporting wastewater from customers to treatment facilities.
• Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales (Wastewater Treatment) Wastewater treatment using PTAR (Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales) facilities to process and purify sewage before final discharge.
• Pago en Línea PSE (Online Bill Payment) Online bill payment service through the PSE (Pagos Seguros en Línea) system, allowing customers to securely pay water and sewage bills via the company website without leaving home.
• PQRSF (Peticiones, Quejas, Reclamos, Sugerencias y Felicitaciones) Citizen service portal for submitting petitions, complaints, claims, suggestions, and compliments (PQRSF) regarding public utility services.
• Factibilidad y Disponibilidad de Servicios (Service Feasibility and Availability Certification) Certification of service feasibility and availability for new water and sewage connections, required for urban licenses and construction permits in Candelaria municipality.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 million pesos invested in bringing potable water to El Cabuyal

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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AcuavallecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJoint billing contract (Contrato de Facturación Conjunta) for coordinated water services. Emcandelaria partners with Acuavalle for billing and collection services, streamlining the customer experience for water service payments.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Bogotá (EAAB): Bogotá's municipal water and sewerage utility, operating under the same Ley 142 framework. Comparable as a Colombian municipal water/sewerage incumbent, but at national-scale serving ~8 million residents versus Emcandelaria's corregimiento footprint.
• Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM): Colombia's largest multi-utility providing water, sewerage, electricity, and gas across Antioquia and beyond. EPM is a broad incumbent in the same Colombian public-utility framework (Ley 142) with overlapping water/sewerage services, though vastly larger scale and scope.
• Aguas de Cartagena (ACUACAR) / Veolia Colombia: Water and sewerage concession in Cartagena operated by Veolia. Comparable as a regulated water/sewerage provider in Colombia with shared operational mechanics, though structured as a private concession rather than municipal enterprise.

Regional players

• Aguas de Manizales: Municipal water and sewerage utility in Manizales operating under Colombian Ley 142 framework. Directly comparable model — government-affiliated water/sewerage provider — though at smaller scale than EPM/EAAB but larger than Emcandelaria.
• Empocabal S.A. E.S.P. Water and sewerage utility serving municipalities in Risaralda (e.g., Pereira/Santa Rosa area) under Colombian Ley 142. Comparable regional-scale municipal water/sewerage operator, useful as a size and operational benchmark.
• Triple A (Sociedad de Acueducto, Alcantarillado y Aseo de Barranquilla): Municipal water, sewerage, and waste utility serving Barranquilla and surrounding areas under Colombian public utilities law. Directly comparable business model and regulatory regime; differs in scale and Atlantic Coast geography.

Direct peers

• Acuavalle S.A. E.S.P. Regional water and sewerage utility also operating in Valle del Cauca under Colombian Law 142 of 1994. Acuavalle is a direct comparable — and is already Emcandelaria's joint billing partner, making it the closest functional peer in geography and service mix.
• Urbaseo Candelaria S.A. E.S.P. Waste collection (aseo) operator in Candelaria that took over that service from Emcandelaria via concession contract. Same municipality, same regulatory framework, and historically spun out of the same municipal utility structure — making it a near-direct functional peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@emcandelariasaesp4179
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmcandelariaESP
• Instagraminstagram.com/emcandelariaesp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emcandelaria

Compliance9 records

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 Emcandelaria