Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
Supplies most of Wales and parts of western England under a distinctive not-for-profit structure adopted in 2001. It is the principal third model in the UK alongside private shareholder ownership in England and public ownership in Scotland.
Key facts
- Country
- Wales
- Ownership
- Company limited by guarantee with no shareholders; surpluses are reinvested or returned to customers
- Services
- Water and wastewater
- Population served
- 3 million
- Regulated by
- Ofwat, DWI, Natural Resources Wales
Data held
Where this number comes from
Source: Ofwat — Water company performance and price review data, Annual performance report — leakage. Licence: Open — attribution required (attribution required).
Method: Company-reported three-year average leakage for the regulatory year running April to March, calculated using the industry water balance methodology. Includes losses from both company mains and customer supply pipes.
Uncertainty: Leakage is not measured directly. It is the residual of a water balance, so it inherits the error of every other term in that balance — particularly unmetered consumption estimates.
Absolute leakage scales with company size and must not be used to rank companies. Compare using leakage per property instead.
Retrieved 23 August 2026.
Where its water comes from
Upland Welsh reservoirs and river abstraction, in one of the wettest parts of Europe.
Relationships
- Serves: Dŵr Cymru service area
Related intelligence
Sources
- Water Services Regulation Authority — Water company performance and price review data. Open — attribution required · Open Government Licence v3.0
- World Bank / International Benchmarking Network — IBNET water utility benchmarking database. Open — attribution required · CC BY 4.0