COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 221310

Water Supply and Irrigation

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

17companies1858–1989founding years17still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedSuez Lyonnaise des Eaux
1858
FoundedSJW Corporation
1866
FoundedPhiladelphia Suburban Corporation
1886
FoundedAntofagasta plc
1888
FoundedElectrabel N.V.
1892
FoundedMiddlesex Water Company
1897
FoundedAlexander & Baldwin, Inc.
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedRichton International Corporation
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedSlough Estates PLC
1920
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedGrupo Dragados SA
1941
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedSouthwest Water Company
1954
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAqua Alliance Inc.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedKelda Group plc
1988
FoundedHyder plcFoundedPennon Group PlcFoundedSevern Trent PLCFoundedUnited Utilities PLC
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux →
Active · founded 1858 · France
Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux has transformed itself into one of the world's leading multi-utility powerhouses, offering…
SJW Corporation →
Active · founded 1866
SJW Corporation, based in San Jose, California, is a holding company for three subsidiaries.
Philadelphia Suburban Corporation →
Active · founded 1886
1892û1910: Rapid expansion through Delaware, Montgomery, and Chester Counties.
Antofagasta plc →
Active · founded 1888 · United Kingdom
Antofagasta plc is one of the world's leading producers of copper, with total production levels nearing 472,000 tons in…
Electrabel N.V. →
Active · founded 1892 · Belgium
Electrabel N.V.
Middlesex Water Company →
Active · founded 1897
Operating out of Iselin, New Jersey, Middlesex Water Company provides water services on both a retail and wholesale…
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. →
Active · founded 1900
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., one of the original 'Big Five' Hawaiian companies, is a diversified corporation with…
Richton International Corporation →
Active · founded 1913
The Richton International Corporation is a diversified services company that completely reinvented itself in the early…
Slough Estates PLC →
Active · founded 1920 · United Kingdom
Slough Estates PLC is Britain's largest industrial property investment company, with a property portfolio valued at…
Grupo Dragados SA →
Active · founded 1941 · Spain
Grupo Dragados SA is Spain's second-largest construction and engineering company; pending a merger with rival ACS…
Southwest Water Company →
Active · founded 1954
Southwest Water Company owns and operates water and wastewater treatment systems, manages and operates water and…
Aqua Alliance Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Formerly known as Air & Water Technologies Corporation, Aqua Alliance Inc.
Kelda Group plc →
Active · founded 1988 · United Kingdom
Kelda Group plc is one of the United Kingdom's leading water services and wastewater management companies.
Hyder plc →
Active · founded 1989 · United Kingdom
Many-headed Hyder (the Welsh word for confidence; rhymes with rudder) plc provides integrated water, electricity, and…
Pennon Group Plc →
Active · founded 1989 · United Kingdom
Pennon Group Plc is a holding company for two primary subsidiaries: South West Water Limited, which provides water…
Severn Trent PLC →
Active · founded 1989 · United Kingdom
As the fourth largest non-government-owned water company in the world, Severn Trent PLC supplies water and sewerage…
United Utilities PLC →
Active · founded 1989 · United Kingdom
United Utilities PLC is a pioneering "multi-utility" group combining operations in water supply and electric power…
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