For more than 160 years, Berliner Wasserbetriebe has been supplying Berlin with drinking water and treating its wastewater. Today we secure the drinking water supply for 3.8 million Berliners and treat the wastewater with state-of-the-art and innovative technology. We are thus one of the largest companies with long experience in the water industry.
1852
Conclusion of a contract between the state government of Prussia and the English company Fox and Frampton to supply the city of Berlin with drinking water.
1856
The first waterworks of the Berlin Waterworks Company goes into operation at the Stralauer Tor.
1873
The Berlin Waterworks Company is purchased by the city of Berlin. Formation of a municipal construction commission for Berlin's sewers, headed by James Hobrecht.
1878
Founding of Charlottenburger Wasserwerke AG, which supplied Berlin's southern suburbs. Formal handover of the drainage facilities built thus far to an operations director.
1937
The city assumes full ownership of Berliner Städtische Wasserwerke.
1945
Merge of Berliner Städtische Wasserwerke with Charlottenburger Wasser- und Industriewerke AG to form Berliner Wasserwerke, fully owned by the municipal government.
1949
The City of Berlin is divided. The water supply and municipal drainage facilities are split in half.
1964
Founding of VEB Wasserversorgung und Abwasserbehandlung Berlin in East Berlin
1967
Transfer of the “Anstalt Berliner Stadtentwässerung” (Berlin Urban Drainage Institution) into an owner-operated municipal enterprise of Berlin named “Berliner Entwässerungswerke in Berlin (West)” (Berlin Drainage Works in (West) Berlin).
1988
Fusion of the Berlin waterworks and the Berliner drainage works to form the Berliner Wasser-Betriebe (BWB) in Berlin (West).
1990
“Wasserversorgung und Abwasserbehandlung Berlin (Ost)” (Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment (East) Berlin) becomes an owner-operated municipal enterprise of Berlin.
1992
Fusion of the Berliner Wasser-Betriebe and the “Wasserversorgung und Abwasserbehandlung Berlin” (Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Berlin) to form the “Berliner Wasserbetrieben” (Berlin Water Companies).
1994
Berliner Wasserbetriebe becomes a municipal company.
1999
Partial privatisation. The city government of Berlin now holds 50.1 % of the shares, RWE and Veolia together hold 49.9 % of the shares in Berliner Wasserbetriebe
2011
Successful referendum to disclose the partial privatisation contracts triggers the re-municipalisation process
2013
City of Berlin buys back shares from RWE and Veolia. Berliner Wasserbetriebe is completely back in the municipal family.
