Kenosha Water Utility

What Kenosha Water Utility does

Kenosha Water Utility (KWU) is a municipally-owned, fiscally independent public utility organized under §66.0805 of the Wisconsin State Statutes and Chapter XXXII of the City of Kenosha General Ordinances. It provides water, wastewater, and stormwater services to more than 100,000 people across the City of Kenosha and the Villages of Bristol, Pleasant Prairie, and Somers. The utility has sourced drinking water from Lake Michigan since 1894 and operates the O. Fred Nelson Water Production Plant and a Wastewater Treatment Plant that discharges treated effluent back into Lake Michigan. Core services include water distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, stormwater management, and a household hazardous waste collection program. The utility is notable as the first in Wisconsin to receive Public Service Commission approval for a Lead Service Line Replacement Program under Act 137, offering 50% grants up to $2,750 plus 3% low-interest 10-year loans to homeowners.

KWU's business model is entirely rate-based with no property tax revenue from the City of Kenosha. Revenue is generated through usage-based water and sewer charges (metered in 100 cubic foot units), stormwater utility fees (a $1.39/month base charge plus EHU-based variable charges rising from $7.71/month in 2026 to $12.00/month by 2030), and ancillary fees for household hazardous waste collection and lead service line replacement financial assistance. Customer segments span residential ratepayers, commercial properties, industrial customers, and public/government entities served under wholesale municipal agreements. The utility is governed by a Board of Water Commissioners composed of six alderpersons, with a General Manager (Curt Czarnecki) overseeing operations. Integration stack includes Paymentus for online bill payment, ArcGIS for GIS mapping, and Diggers Hotline for utility locating. All operations are financed solely by user charges, providing fiscal independence from municipal tax revenue.

Name

Kenosha Water Utility

Legal name

Kenosha Water Utility

Website

https://kenoshawater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kenosha Water Utility is a municipally-owned public utility providing water, wastewater, and stormwater services to 100,000+ people across the City of Kenosha and three surrounding villages, sourced from Lake Michigan since 1894, financed entirely by user charges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utility Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Municipal water services
• Wastewater treatment
• Drinking water supply
• Stormwater management
• Lead service line replacement

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenosha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Service Charges: Revenue from treated water consumption, charged based on metered usage (100 cubic feet units). Residential customers may receive sprinkling credits on sewer volume charges for summer excess usage.
2. Sewer/Wastewater Service Charges: Revenue from wastewater treatment, based on the amount of water consumed. This covers the cost to treat wastewater before discharge into Lake Michigan.
3. Stormwater Utility Fees: Monthly fees funding stormwater management programs, consisting of a fixed base charge ($1.39/month) plus variable EHU-based charges ($7.71-$12.00 per EHU per month from 2026-2030).
4. Household Hazardous Waste Collection: Monthly service provided to residential customers to safely dispose of hazardous materials, included as a line item on utility bills.
5. Lead Service Replacement Financial Assistance: KWU provides 50% grant funding (up to $2,750) for lead service line replacement plus low-interest (3%) loans paid back over 10 years via property taxes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kenosha Water Utility is a municipally-owned, fiscally independent public utility that treats and distributes Lake Michigan drinking water and provides wastewater treatment and stormwater management services to more than 100,000 people across the City of Kenosha and the Villages of Bristol, Pleasant Prairie, and Somers. Operations are financed solely through water, sewer, and stormwater service charges, with no property tax revenue.

Product overview

Kenosha Water Utility is a municipally-owned, fiscally independent public utility organized under Wisconsin State Statutes. It operates as a unified water and wastewater utility providing Lake Michigan-sourced drinking water and wastewater treatment services to over 100,000 people across the City of Kenosha and Villages of Bristol, Pleasant Prairie, and Somers. The utility's core offerings include water distribution through the O. Fred Nelson Water Production Plant and wastewater treatment through the Wastewater Treatment Plant, supplemented by a Stormwater Utility, Lead Service Line Replacement Program, Household Hazardous Waste Collection, and customer service/billing operations. The utility also provides engineering services, education and outreach programs, and publishes annual water quality reports. All operations are financed solely by water and sewer service charges with no property tax revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Distribution Services Municipal water distribution providing treated drinking water from Lake Michigan to more than 100,000 residents and businesses in the City of Kenosha and surrounding villages, operated through the O. Fred Nelson Water Production Plant and the distribution system.
• Wastewater Treatment Services Wastewater treatment plant operations processing sewage from residential, commercial, and industrial customers before discharge back into Lake Michigan, including fats, oils, and grease management programs.
• Stormwater Utility Services
• Lead Service Line Replacement Program Financial assistance program offering 50% grant funding up to $2,750 plus a low-interest 3% loan over 10 years for replacing customer-side lead water service lines within the KWU distribution system.
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection
• Engineering & GIS Services

Quantifiable outcome

• KWU was the first utility in Wisconsin to receive PSC approval to replace customer-side lead water services under Act 137 provisions

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025Regional economic development organization collaborating on Pitch Perfect startup competition as part of Southeast Wisconsin innovation ecosystem initiative.
• Racine County Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025Regional economic development organization collaborating on Pitch Perfect startup competition across Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth Counties.
• Walworth County Economic Development Alliance (WCEDA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025Regional economic development organization collaborating on regional startup ecosystem development.
• WEDC (Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025State economic development organization partnering on regional innovation and startup initiatives.
• Carthage CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025Higher education institution partnering on regional innovation ecosystem and startup competition.
• UW ParksideminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025University partnering on regional innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Gateway Technical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025Technical college partnering on workforce development and innovation initiatives in Southeast Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Technology CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025State technology council supporting regional innovation and startup ecosystem development.
• ChaseminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 October 2025Corporate sponsor for the Pitch Perfect regional startup competition.
• Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood (KIN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2025Michael Kopper, CEO of Centrisys, appointed to KIN Board of Directors. KIN is a 107-acre redevelopment initiative focused on innovation, education, and inclusive economic growth.
• Villages of Bristol, Pleasant Prairie, and SomerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholesale water and wastewater service agreements with surrounding municipalities. KWU provides water and wastewater services to more than 100,000 people including residents of these partner villages.
• Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network (Win)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization partnering with Stormwater Utility to improve water quality and connect residents to the Pike River Watershed through community engagement.
• Public Service Commission of WisconsincoreOthersRegulatory authority under which KWU received approval to implement the Lead Service Line Replacement Program as the first utility in Wisconsin to do so under Act 137 provisions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Milwaukee Water Works: Large municipally-owned water utility in Milwaukee, WI also drawing from Lake Michigan. Direct Wisconsin peer operating the same statutory framework (§66.0805), serving a much larger customer base but with the same treatment, distribution, and lead-line replacement exposure.
• Green Bay Water Utility: Municipally-owned water utility serving Green Bay, WI. Comparable Wisconsin municipal water provider with similar governance, source-water treatment, and industrial/commercial customer mix.
• Racine Water Utility: Neighboring Racine, WI municipal water utility also using Lake Michigan source water. Most direct geographic peer to Kenosha, with overlapping wholesale-customer and industrial-customer dynamics in Southeast Wisconsin.
• Waukesha Water Utility: Waukesha, WI municipal water utility. In-state peer operating under the same Wisconsin statute with similar PSC oversight, customer-funded rate model, and lead-service-line replacement obligations.
• Madison Water Utility: Municipally-owned water utility serving Madison, WI. Closest in-state Wisconsin municipal peer with similar statutory structure, customer-funded rate base, and lake/well-sourced water delivery to a comparable Midwestern population.

Broad incumbents

• Essential Utilities (formerly Aqua America): Large publicly-traded water and natural gas utility with significant regulated water operations across the Midwest and Eastern U.S. Useful broad incumbent benchmark for rate-base growth, capital programs, and lead-line replacement investment in similar Great Lakes / Midwest service territories.
• American Water Works Company: Largest publicly-traded water and wastewater utility in the U.S., operating across multiple states including regulated and military services lines. A scaled incumbent benchmark for the same municipal-style water/wastewater service offering KWU provides.
• Illinois American Water: Investor-owned water and wastewater utility serving communities across Illinois. Comparable in scale and product offering but structured as a regulated private utility under Illinois Commerce Commission rather than a municipality, providing a useful alternative governance benchmark.
• Chicago Department of Water Management: Large municipal water and sewer utility for Chicago, IL, also drawing from Lake Michigan. A much larger Great Lakes municipal peer — relevant for benchmarking treatment practices, lead-line programs, and large-scale operations, but serves a far larger and denser customer base.
• Cleveland Water: Division of Cleveland Water Department providing drinking water from Lake Erie to Greater Cleveland. Direct Great Lakes municipal-utility analogue with similar surface-water treatment profile, large customer base, and lead-service-line legacy issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/City_of_Kenosha
• Facebookfacebook.com/CityofKenoshaWI
• Instagraminstagram.com/city_of_kenosha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kenosha-water-utility

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Kenosha Water Utility