bear creek water associtaion

What bear creek water associtaion does

Bear Creek Water Association, Inc. is a non-profit, member-owned rural water and sewer utility headquartered at 301 Distribution Drive in Madison, Mississippi. Founded in 1968 by a small group of citizens and originally built with Farmers Home Administration loans in 1971–1972 to serve approximately 600 customers in a 30-square-mile rural area between Canton and Madison, the association has grown into the largest rural water association in Mississippi and the second largest water provider in central Mississippi (behind the City of Jackson). It serves over 50,000 people through more than 20,000 water connections and more than 8,000 sewer connections across a 105-square-mile water service area and a 72-square-mile public sewer service area in south Madison County, including portions of the cities of Gluckstadt, Canton, Ridgeland, and Madison, and unincorporated Madison County.

The association's core technology is a conventional groundwater distribution system drawing from wells in the Cockfield Formation and Sparta Aquifer, paired with a wastewater collection network whose flow is transported to Madison County Wastewater Authority facilities for treatment. Customer-facing technology is limited to a UtilityNexus-based online payment portal, Constant Contact email alerts, and SMS text alerts (subscribed via "WATER" to 877-230-8989), with no disclosed smart-meter, SCADA analytics, or AI-driven capabilities. The product portfolio centers on monthly recurring residential and commercial water service, monthly recurring sewer service, and ancillary services including garbage and recycling pass-through billing for Madison County, the City of Madison, and the City of Ridgeland, plus annual water quality consumer confidence reports published from 2015–2025.

The revenue model is a regulated utility subscription structure: monthly recurring water and sewer service charges, a 2.25% convenience fee on credit/debit card transactions (with eCheck and bank draft accepted free), a one-time non-refundable $15 membership fee, refundable meter deposits ($100 homeowner/builder, $200 renter), and standard late-payment mechanics (10% late fee, $50 disconnection penalty). The association operates as a member-governed non-profit under a Board of Directors led by Board President Buddy Voelkel and Board Vice-President Adam Jenkins, with Nolan Williamson serving as General Manager since 2015. Customer acquisition is entirely geographic and development-driven — there is no sales force — with growth tied to urbanization of south Madison County, new subdivision build-out, and connections to builders/developers compliant with association specifications.

Name

bear creek water associtaion

Legal name

Bear Creek Water Association, Inc.

Website

https://bcwaterms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bear Creek Water Association is a non-profit, member-owned rural water and sewer utility in south Madison County, Mississippi, serving over 50,000 people through 20,000+ water connections and 8,000+ sewer connections across a 105-square-mile territory, making it the largest rural water association in Mississippi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Sewer Utility Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Wastewater collection services
• Water distribution infrastructure
• Sewer service operations
• Non-profit water association

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Service Fees: Monthly recurring charges for water service to residential and commercial customers, including base fees and consumption-based charges.
2. Sewer/Wastewater Service Fees: Monthly recurring sewer service charges, with wastewater transported to Madison County Wastewater Authority facilities for treatment.
3. Transaction Convenience Fees: 2.25% convenience fee charged for credit/debit card payments; eCheck payments accepted at no additional cost.
4. Membership and Connection Fees: One-time $15 non-refundable membership fee and refundable meter deposits ($100 for homeowners/builders, $200 for renters).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bear Creek Water Association is a non-profit, member-owned rural water association that provides water distribution and public sewer/wastewater services to over 50,000 people across a 105-square-mile service area in south Madison County, Mississippi. The association operates more than 20,000 water connections and 8,000+ sewer connections, with wastewater transported to Madison County Wastewater Authority facilities for treatment.

Product overview

Bear Creek Water Association operates as a non-profit, member-owned rural water utility providing water and sewer services. The core offerings consist of water distribution (20,000+ connections) and public sewer/wastewater services (8,000+ connections) across a 105-square-mile service area in Madison County, Mississippi. Additional services include an online payment portal powered by UtilityNexus, text and email alert systems for boil water notices and emergencies, annual water quality reports, and customer account management tools. The association's sewer services transport wastewater to Madison County Wastewater Authority facilities for treatment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Distribution Services Provides clean, safe drinking water to over 50,000 people through more than 20,000 water connections across a 105-square-mile service area in south Madison County, Mississippi, drawing from wells in the Cockfield Formation and Sparta Aquifer.
• Public Sewer/Wastewater Services Provides public sewer service to about 72 square miles of south Madison County with over 8,000 sewer connections. Wastewater is transported for treatment to Madison County Wastewater Authority facilities.
• Online Payment Portal Online bill payment system powered by UtilityNexus allowing customers to pay via eCheck from checking accounts or debit/credit cards with a 2.25% transaction fee, view account history, and access QuickPay features.
• Customer Account Management Portal Self-service portal for new service applications, billing adjustments, account transfers, and access to account history.
• Water Quality Reports Annual consumer confidence reports detailing water source, quality test results, and comparisons to federal and state standards, available from 2015-2025.
• Text and Email Alert System Customer notification system for boil water alerts, service notices, and emergency communications via text messaging (WATER to 877-230-8989) and Constant Contact-based email alerts.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Madison County Wastewater AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBear Creek Water Association's sewer is transported for treatment to facilities owned by the Madison County Wastewater Authority. This is a critical infrastructure partnership for wastewater treatment services.
• American Water Works Association (AWWA)minorOthersBear Creek Water Association is a member of the American Water Works Association. The association's awards are presented by the Alabama/Mississippi Section of AWWA.
• Mississippi Rural Water AssociationminorOthersBear Creek Water Association is a member of the Mississippi Rural Water Association, which provides support and resources for rural water systems.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Middlesex Water Company: U.S. water and wastewater utility with a concentrated service territory and recurring customer fees. It provides a closer small-to-midsized public-utility benchmark than a global technology vendor.
• California Water Service Group: Investor-owned water utility with a large distributed customer connection base and recurring service fees. It is a broad incumbent benchmark, not a same-geography competitor.
• Essential Utilities, Inc. U.S. water, wastewater, and natural gas utility platform serving residential and commercial customers. Its recurring utility fees, system ownership, and local operating footprint are comparable at a scaled level.
• American States Water Company: Investor-owned water and wastewater utility serving regulated customer bases in multiple states. It is a relevant operating and valuation benchmark for a small regional water and sewer association.
• American Water Works Company, Inc. Large U.S. water and wastewater utility with recurring municipal and residential service and extensive system operations. It is a broad incumbent benchmark for Bear Creek's utility model and infrastructure scale.
• SJW Group: Water utility holding company operating municipal and community water systems with recurring service revenue. Its local and regional system operations make it relevant for comparison, though its market is outside Mississippi.
• City of Jackson Water and Sewer: Municipal water and sewer provider in central Mississippi, behind which Bear Creek is identified as the second-largest water provider. It is a broad incumbent benchmark for the same local utility category.

Others

• Madison County Wastewater Authority: Regional wastewater authority whose facilities treat Bear Creek's wastewater. It is an adjacent infrastructure operator and strategic partner rather than a like-for-like member-owned water utility.

Direct peers

• City of Ridgeland Utilities: Municipal water and sewer provider in a neighboring and partly overlapping market served by Bear Creek. It is a direct regional operating comparator for local infrastructure and customer service.
• City of Madison Utilities: Municipal utility serving portions of the same Madison County market, including an area overlapped by Bear Creek's service area. Its local water and sewer operations make it a direct regional comparison, although the ownership model differs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bear-creek-water-associtaion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 bear creek water associtaion