Privatizing water is not a good idea and rather than reducing costs it has consistently raised costs.
Fort Worth Floats Idea of Privatizing Water Services
by Maurice Chammah
May 29, 2013In March, the city of Fort Worth appointed a task force to see whether the city might save money by putting some of its water services in public-private partnerships. City officials say nothing has been decided, but experts are already weighing in on the issues that cities could face if they privatize some of their water services and the kinds of opposition that could emerge from residents.
[…]Among the rural and suburban communities in the state that have their water utilities owned by private companies, some residents have complained that the move has led to rate hikes. In March, residents of Blue Mound, a town of 2,400 just outside of Fort Worth, complained of rate hikes by Monarch Utilities, a private company that owns the town’s water infrastructure. An official with SouthWest Water Company, which owns Monarch, said that the increased rates were justified because the company had invested in maintenance and improvements in the water sewer systems.
Food & Water Watch has a pdf fact sheet about privatizing water.
Public-Private Partnerships: Issues and Difficulties with Private Water Service by Food and Water Watch
More bad news about privatizing water:
Mother Jones: Water for Profit
AMERICAN-STATESMAN: Private Water Companies Come to Texas Bringing Soaring Rates, Little Recourse for Consumers
by Jeremy Schwartz and Eric Dexheimer
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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Maybe someday we’ll have to buy water from China….since ours is being used to sell them our gas.