Hackensack Water Company
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Suez North America, founded as the Hackensack Water Company in 1869 and later named United Water, is an American water service company headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey. It owns and operates 16 water and waste water utilities, and operates 90 municipal water and waste water systems through public-private partnerships and contract agreements. The company has over 2,300 employees, and in 2013, United Water generated $764 million in revenue, and managed $3.2 billion in total assets. United Water became a subsidiary of
Suez Environnement Suez SA (formerly Suez Environnement) is a French-based utility company which operates largely in the water and waste management sectors. The company has its head office in La Défense, Paris.water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...
and storage company. Adrian Leiby's monograph, ''The Hackensack Water Company, 1869-1969'', provides interesting explanation of the company's first century, not only its people and events but also their contemporary context (thus both "the life and times" of the organization). The company originally served the city of Hackensack and the towns of North Hudson. It grew over the decades, extending its service to other towns of northern New Jersey and building several
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
s, including
Oradell Reservoir The Oradell Reservoir is a reservoir formed by the Oradell Reservoir Dam on the Hackensack River in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Geography The Oradell Reservoir Dam is located primarily in the borough of Oradell, but the reservoir ...
and, in partnership with the Spring Valley Water Company just across the New York state line, Lake DeForest. For a time in the early 20th century, it supplied Hoboken, although Hoboken later switched its water supply to the
Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark. In 1983, Hackensack Water reorganized into United Water Resources, Inc., and in 1994 it acquired General Waterworks Corporation for $200 million. In 2000,
Suez Environnement Suez SA (formerly Suez Environnement) is a French-based utility company which operates largely in the water and waste management sectors. The company has its head office in La Défense, Paris.Engineering News-Record'' ranked Suez North America the third largest provider of water treatment and supply services in the United States. In April 2014, United Water was given a $5.5 million state tax break from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to prevent the company from moving its headquarters out of New Jersey and into New York. The company still planned to move out of Harrington Park, considering two New Jersey locations. In June 2015, Suez Environnement opened their new North American Corporate Headquarters in Paramus, New Jersey.


Activities


Water partnership model

At the 2012 meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, United Water made a commitment to engage private investors and work with municipalities to establish agreements wherein the company would take over operations, maintenance, and capital improvement of water utilities in municipalities across the country, starting with
Nassau County, New York Nassau County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola and the largest town is Hempstead. Nassau County is situated on western Long Island ...
and
Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...
. This model won the Partnership Performance of the Year award at the 2012 American Water Summit.


Bayonne

In December 2012, United Water and
KKR KKR & Co. Inc., also known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an American global investment company that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and, through its strateg ...
, together forming the Bayonne Water Joint Venture (BWJV), entered into a concession agreement with the Municipal Utilities Authority of
Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...
.Hack, Charles (July 23, 2012
"United Water to take over operations of Bayonne's water, sewer systems in $150 million deal"
NJ.com
The 40-year agreement is a public-private partnership between the BWJV and the city in which the private partners pay off the Bayonne Municipal Utility Authority's (BMUA) $130 million debt and take over the operations, maintenance, and capital improvement of Bayonne's water and wastewater utilities in exchange for a regulated share of the revenue. United Water is managing the operations for the partnership, while KKR is providing 90% of the funding.


Nassau County

In June 2014, Nassau County announced that it had partnered with United Water to operate its three
wastewater treatment Wastewater treatment is a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater and convert it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environme ...
plants and sewage collection system for 20 years. In exchange for operating the wastewater system and providing at least $10 million in savings each year, Nassau County will pay United Water $57.4 million annually (adjusted for inflation). The county's financial consultant on the agreement, the PFM Group, estimated savings over the term of the contract at $233.1 million, and up to $378.9 million when 'Synergy Savings', including reduced overtime and personnel reassignments, are taken into account. Nassau County will maintain ownership of the wastewater system and jurisdiction over its utility rates, which are not expected to rise.


See also

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New Jersey American Water New Jersey American Water is the largest water industry, water utility in the U.S. State of New Jersey, serving around two and a half million people in 183 communities in 17 counties throughout the state, supplying potable water and wastewater ser ...
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List of crossings of the Hackensack River The Hackensack River courses southward for approximately through Rockland County in New York and Bergen and Hudson counties in northeastern New Jersey, forming the border of the latter two for part of its length. Its source, as identified by th ...


References


External links

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Ask Bill Clinton: Are There Bipartisan Ways to Boost U.S. Infrastructure Investment?KKR joins private equity charge in U.S. water
{{Authority control Water companies of the United States Engie United Water Companies established in 1869 1869 establishments in New Jersey