Racine Water Dept

What Racine Water Dept does

Racine Water Dept (also referred to as the Water Utility) is a department of the City of Racine municipal government, providing drinking water and wastewater utility services to residents, businesses, and industrial customers within the city limits of Racine, Wisconsin. The utility operates under the authority of the City's Water Commission, which sets water rates and oversees regulatory compliance. Its operational scope spans water supply, water quality monitoring, lead service line replacement, leak detection, water main construction, conservation programs, and stormwater management, as well as wastewater treatment, sanitary sewer management, FOG (fats/oils/grease) program compliance, sewer lateral repair, and solids management. Adjacent programs include the Racine RENTS Initiative (rental property registration and inspections), a sump pump connection program, and public fire protection services.

The underlying technology stack is conventional municipal utility infrastructure: a GIS/Maps system for spatial analysis of water infrastructure and property data, a Private Lead Service Line Replacement Program for lead contamination mitigation, and a Leak Detection Program for distribution-system maintenance. The utility integrates with third-party platforms including ArcGIS Hub (GIS and rental registration portal), CityWise Software (apartment listings), and Tolemi (property research). No mobile application is deployed; customer interaction occurs through the city website, billing portals, and field service operations. Pricing is set by the Water Commission and is not publicly disclosed; customers are directed to the Water Rates page for tariff information.

The business model is fee-for-service utility billing under municipal monopoly. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly water service fees across residential, commercial, and industrial tiers, supplemented by one-time connection charges for new service hookups, recurring stormwater fees, and recurring public fire protection fees for hydrants. The department is publicly owned and operated — there is no parent company, no external equity, no funding rounds, and no M&A or restructuring activity. Customer concentration is effectively total within service territory by design, and the utility's competitive position derives from its exclusive regulatory franchise and existing physical infrastructure rather than from market positioning.

Name

Racine Water Dept

Legal name

City of Racine

Website

https://cityofracine.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Racine Water Dept is the municipal water and wastewater utility of the City of Racine, Wisconsin, providing drinking water supply, water quality monitoring, lead service line replacement, leak detection, stormwater management, and fire protection services to city residents, businesses, and industrial customers within the city limits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water Utility

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE), Stormwater Management & MS4 Compliance Services (BPALAMAL)

Keywords

• Municipal water supply
• Drinking water services
• Wastewater treatment
• Water utility billing
• Lead service line replacement

Headquarters

HQ city

Racine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Service Fees: Revenue generated from charging customers for water consumption, based on water rates set by the Water Commission. Includes residential, commercial, and industrial tiers.
2. Connection Charges: One-time fees charged for new water service connections to properties
3. Storm Water Fee: Fees charged for storm water management services
4. Public Fire Protection: Fees charged for fire hydrant and fire protection services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Racine Water Dept provides municipal drinking water supply and wastewater treatment services to residents and businesses within the City of Racine. Core services include water billing, water quality monitoring, lead service line replacement, leak detection, water main construction, conservation programs, storm water management, and public fire protection. Operations are conducted through city-owned distribution infrastructure under the authority of the City Water Commission.

Product overview

Racine Water Dept operates as a municipal utility offering water supply and wastewater treatment as its core services. The water utility provides billing, water quality monitoring, lead service line replacement, leak detection, and conservation programs. The wastewater utility manages treatment, sanitary sewers, and environmental programs. Additional offerings include the Racine RENTS Initiative for rental property registration and inspections, a sump pump program, and GIS mapping services. The department also provides a customer-facing apartment listings portal powered by an external platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Utility Services Municipal water supply services including water billing, water quality monitoring, lead service line replacement, leak detection, water main construction, and conservation programs for City of Racine residents and businesses.
• Wastewater Utility Services Wastewater treatment and management services including sanitary sewers, FOG program, sewer lateral repair, credit meter services, environmental programs, and solids management for City of Racine customers.
• Private Lead Service Line Replacement Program Program for replacing private lead service lines to improve drinking water quality and safety for residential and commercial property owners within the City of Racine service territory.
• Leak Detection Program Systematic program to identify and address water leaks in the distribution system, supporting infrastructure maintenance and water loss reduction across the City of Racine water network.
• Sump Pump Program Program to manage sump pump connections to sanitary sewer systems to prevent basement backups for City of Racine property owners.
• Racine RENTS Initiative Rental property registration and inspection program including proactive rental inspections, escrow deposit program, chronic nuisance properties tracking, and bank registration of foreclosure properties for City of Racine landlords and tenants.
• Racine Apartments Portal Official apartment listings portal powered by CityWise Software, providing rental listings, renter education, and resources for tenants and landlords within the City of Racine.
• GIS Maps Geographic Information System maps providing property data, infrastructure information, and spatial analysis for city services to City of Racine residents and businesses.

Named customers2 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

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Green Bay Water Utility: Wisconsin municipal water utility serving Green Bay with similar drinking water supply, metering, and infrastructure replacement functions. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and regulatory environment.
• Madison Water Utility: Municipal water utility serving Madison, WI; operates under a Water Utility Board with rate-regulated billing, GIS-based asset management, and lead service line replacement programs. Closely mirrors Racine's structure as a Wisconsin municipal utility with similar compliance obligations.
• Milwaukee Water Works: Sister municipal water utility serving the City of Milwaukee, WI — same operating model (municipal department, Water Works governance), same regulatory jurisdiction, comparable service mix (water supply, lead service line replacement, billing). Directly comparable in scale and structure within the same Wisconsin regulatory environment.
• Kenosha Water Utility: Neighboring Wisconsin municipal water utility serving Kenosha residents and businesses with comparable water supply, billing, and lead-line replacement programs. Same mid-size city profile as Racine; useful scale and operational benchmark.
• Waukesha Water Utility: Wisconsin municipal water utility serving Waukesha, WI with comparable water supply, billing, and service territory restrictions. Same Midwest climate, regulatory environment, and municipal utility governance model.

Broad incumbents

• American Water Works Company: Largest publicly traded US water and wastewater utility (NYSE: AWK), serving municipalities, residential, and commercial customers across multiple states. Comparable core business (water rate base, infrastructure replacement programs) but operates as investor-owned rather than municipal.
• Essential Utilities (Aqua America): Investor-owned water and natural gas utility serving ~5 million people across 10 states. Performs regulated water/wastewater operations analogous to Racine but at much larger scale and with private rate-of-return regulation.
• Veolia North America: Operates and maintains municipal water and wastewater systems under contract for many US cities. Directly comparable operational scope (treatment, distribution, billing) but under O&M outsourcing rather than municipal ownership.
• Chicago Department of Water Management: Large municipal water utility (Chicago, IL) operating water supply, wastewater, and metering at significantly greater scale. Comparable in function and regulatory model (municipal department serving a single city) but vastly larger rate base and customer base.

Others

• Jacobs Solutions Critical Mission Solutions & Cyber & Intelligence: Engineering and program management consultancy providing water infrastructure design, asset management, and capital program execution services to utilities. Comparable ecosystem role in water infrastructure planning but does not own/operate a utility franchise itself.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-racine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Racine Water Dept