Wessex Water

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Wessex Water is a water supply and sewerage utility company serving parts of south west and southern England. The company originated as the Wessex Water Authority, one of ten regional water authorities established by the Water Act 1973. Privatised, in 1989, Wessex Water Services Limited was purchased by Enron in July 1998 for $2.4 billion. Following that company's collapse Wessex Water was sold to YTL Power International of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2002.

The company is based in Bath in Somerset in a new energy efficient building by Bennetts Associates and Buro Happold.

The water authority acquired the assets and duties of a number of public sector and local authority water utilities^[1]:

Bristol Avon River Authority
Somerset River Authority
Avon and Dorset River Authority (except the part of the area of that drains to the River Lim)
Bath Corporation
Dorset Water Board
North Wilts Water Board
South Wilts Water Board
Wessex Water Board
West Somerset Water Board
West Wilts Water Board
Bournemouth and District Water Company †
Bristol Waterworks Company
Cholderton and District Water Company †
West Hampshire Water Company †
West Lulworth Water Undertaking

and

The part of the area of the Severn River Authority that drained into the Severn below Sharpness

† The Wessex Water Authority only took over the areas of these companies for sewerage and drainage purposes. The companies continued to supply drinking water.

According to the company's accounts, in 2005^[2] it achieved a turnover of £303.6 million, and an operating profit of £124.8 million.