Our Precious National Fluids

Katherine Mangu-Ward | March 28, 2008

Lest we get high and mighty about living in the freest, best-est nation in the world--the Property and Environment Research Center reminds us that our water is basically communist:

It is one of the great ironies of America. In the most capitalist, free-market nation in the world, most citizens receive their water and wastewater services from government entities. Contrast this with the United Kingdom, where almost all water services are provided by private systems.

While more than half of drinking water utilities in the United States are privately owned (National Association of Water Companies, 2008), they provide only 13 percent of Americans with their drinking water. And about 3 percent of Americans get wastewater services from the 20 percent of wastewater utilities that are privately owned.

Former EPA water administrator G. Tracy Mehan reports on his thirst for freedom here [PDF].