Reclaiming the Water Vein: Memories of the Re-publication of the Paris Municipal Waterworks (2010)

Reclaiming the Water Vein: Memories of the Re-publication of the Paris Municipal Waterworks (2010)

In 2010, the City of Paris returned its water service to public ownership after a quarter of a century. What was lost under the private sector was not just money. Transparency, trust, and the voice of citizens. The city decided to take back control of its own water system in order to regain the distance between itself and its citizens and the prices that had quietly skyrocketed under the control of the two giant corporations, Veolia and Suez.

The private outsourcing, which began in 1985, began as the city grew, but soon the opacity of the contracts and the rising costs aroused criticism. Under the new mayor, Bertrand Delannoye, a resolution was passed in 2008 to republicanize the city, and in 2010, the "Eau de Paris" was born. There was a board of directors that included citizens, financial information that was made public, and above all, the will to protect water as a public good and not just a commodity.

After the re-publicization, water rates were lowered and transparency of operations was greatly improved. In 2017, the results were recognized around the world in the form of the United Nations Public Service Award. Water in Paris does not just flow out of the tap. It contains a sense of pride restored by the citizens and a quiet promise for the future.