Leti De Leon

Should Individuals or Corporations have the right to own and control water?
All over the country there are private water utilities who serve consumers water just like
public water utilities. Water is an important resource in everyones lives and we use it for a
number of things: cooking, agriculture, and even bathing. Water is essential for human life and as
more water problems occur we need to come up with a healthy solution; for ourselves and the
rest of the world. Throughout the past there has been many calls to privatize water in whole
communities. However, private utilities or individuals should not have control over a whole
citys water availability. Some of the negative effects a consumer using a private water utility
will face is the price/rate that is more expensive than a public water utility price. Another
negative effect of private water utilities is that consumers may not get the water they are paying
for that is supposed to be provided by their private water utility.
Using a private water utility comes with a price; a very high price that most of the public
would be unable to pay. According to the Statesman, homes that get their water from
Pflugerville, instead of a private utility in California have to pay about 60% less than what the
private utility charges (Dexheimer and Schwartz). Private water companies have higher interests
rates to help pay for the equipment they use but also to make a profit; as municipal utilities
cannot do. Some contracts written for private utilities say that huge amounts of money will be
sent to the utility annually. Along with making a profit water companies do not have to follow
the same rules as public utilities have to; often ending with the private companies not having
regular inspections of their equipment leading to water-borne diseases like cholera and E. coli
who come from contaminated pipes that are not regulated. Private water utilities also make
purchases of equipment that will help improve their company but in reality do not make a big
difference between them and public utilities (Holt, as qtd. in Verburg). In fact, private water
companies actually hurt the environment using more equipment. The use of desalination plants
make brine in the water and can hurt plants and animals by clogging water resources. Water
companies are a business and they are focused on making a profit, even if it means people cannot
access their water. This means many people leave a community due to the high bills and people
do not want to move to the community because of the rates.
Another negative effect posed by the high rate is that some consumers will be unable to
pay for their water bill if they are getting their water from a private utility; thus making the water
unavailable to them. High rates is one reason that some family consumers cannot access water
(Haughter). Private water utilities also make it hard for inhabitants of developing countries
because already they are suffering water shortages. Poorer countries sell their water
infrastructure to private companies in hopes of getting more money and making water more
available to their citizens. However, private companies make it harder for inhabitants of
developing countries to access their water and what is worse is that the companies do not help
the consumers when they are unable to connect to their infrastructure. Private water utilities
make a profit from serving water to communities and if the consumers cant pay then they will
not be served. Shah quotes off the documentary World Without Water that a French company,
present in Bolivia, said that the poor chose not to be connected to the water services (as qtd. in
Shah). Many people believe that this is morally wrong and many countries/communities have

ended their contracts with the utilities and now have possession of their own infrastructures.
Many cities believe that they are able to have more control over their water and make better
decisions than the water companies because the companies dont know what is best for the
community.
In conclusion, individuals and corporations who have control of water bring more trouble
than good for communities. Besides charging and making water hard to access water utilities also
hurt the environment and our health. It is much easier for communities to regulate their own
water for their inhabitants and do not have to spend as much money for lower quality water.
People of a community will trust their water more if it comes from a local aquifer or spring
instead of desalinated water from hundreds of miles away. Communities are responsible enough
to handle their own water problems without the help of individuals and corporations.

Works Cited:
Dexheimer, Eric and Schwartz, Jeremy. Growth of large private water companies brings higher
water rates, little recourse for consumers Statesman. 18 Dec. 2011. Austin

American-Statesman 23 Apr. 2016

Haughter, Wenonah. No. The Public Wont be Served wsj. 8 Oct. 2012 The Wall Street Journal
27 Apr. 2016
Shah, Anup. Water and Development. 6 Jan. 2010 Global Issues 28 Apr. 2016
Verburg, Steven. Private water utility costs consumers in Superior host.madison. 9 Feb. 2016
Wisconsin State Journal 26 Apr. 2016