Premium
Who Will Pay? Who Will Profit? An Overview of Trends and Opportunities in the Water Business
Author(s) -
Maxwell Steve
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.2006.tb07744.x
Subject(s) - consolidation (business) , business , enforcement , reuse , profit (economics) , water scarcity , scarcity , marketing , natural resource economics , economics , finance , water resources , market economy , engineering , political science , ecology , law , biology , microeconomics , waste management
This article discusses trends and opportunities in the water business, focusing on several key factors that are driving the overall expansion and consolidation of the broader water industry. Those key factors include: worsening of water quality and scarcity problems; growing public awareness; expanding regulation and enforcement levels; and, huge capital expenditures. The article explains how these drivers, in turn, give rise to various trends and effects, which will likely be key features in the water business for years to come. The resultant trends and developments include: a reinvention of privatization; a continuing consolidation and rearrangement of ownership; the growing involvement of private equity funds; more efficient water use and greater reliance on recycling and reuse; and, growing consumer power.