Northern Ireland Water
Northern Ireland Water Limited (Irish: Uisce Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: Norlin Airlan Wattèr) is a water company in Northern Ireland. Formerly an executive agency (the Northern Ireland Water Service) within Northern Ireland's former Department for Regional Development, it became a government-owned company on 1 April 2007. The company provides 625 million litres of clean water a day for almost 1.7 million people as well as treating 134 million m3 of wastewater every year, and has approximately 1,400 staff. It is responsible for 26,500 km of watermains and 14,500 km of sewerage mains, as well as 47 water treatment works and 918 wastewater treatment works. In 2005, the Water Service had an annual budget of £302 million and fixed assets of £4.9 billion.
Prior to 1973, water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland outside Belfast were the responsibility of local councils. Within the capital, the Belfast Water Commissioners were responsible. The Water Commissioners' building in the city centre is a landmark, currently occupied by retailer Marks and Spencer. In 1973, responsibility for providing these services was transferred to Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland). Within the Department, a new Water Executive was responsible for the management and administration of water and sewerage services.
When water and sewer companies were privatised in England and Wales in 1989, these services remained public in Northern Ireland and in Scotland.
In 1996, the Water Executive became an executive agency and was rebranded as the Northern Ireland Water Service and, in 1999, responsibility for water transferred to the Department for Regional Development.
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