Partnership with municipalities

Services for Flemish municipalities

Aquafin provides services for the expansion and management of the municipal sewage system as well. A city or municipality may choose to have a long-term partnership by means of a concession, or it can allocate ad-hoc tasks to Aquafin. Besides this there is the possibility of joining in with the joint ventures that Aquafin has concluded with the water companies water-link and De Watergroep (Riopact). There are several other players active on the municipal market, but Aquafin has the largest market share counting municipalties and people equivalents. 

Working together for a sustainable future

Aquafin is ready to help the municipalities with the challenges with which we are also faced at the level of Flanders as a whole. Although the regional treatment infrastructure is almost fully developed, many missing links still need to be put in place at local level to improve water quality further. The income from the municipal environmental levies should also be used to maintain the infrastructure. With an asset management plan from Aquafin, municipalities can keep the greatest risks under control, even with a limited annual budget. For municipalities which already have to contend with flooding on a regular basis or want to prepare for heavier downpours in future, we draw up a stormwater plan. This is always geared to the specific requirements and situation of the municipality, without shifting the problem to a neighbouring municipality.

Flemish towns, cities and municipalities

Flemish towns, cities and municipalities are responsible for collecting and removing domestic waste water from households in municipal sewers, where Aquafin’s collector sewers take over. Thanks to its knowhow and experience in this area, Aquafin is perfectly placed to support the local authorities. Following a call for tenders, they can appoint the company to manage their sewer system in the form of a concession or via a joint venture between Aquafin and the water companies water-link or De Watergroep (Riopact). A municipality can also opt to remain the sewer operator itself and only entrust truly specialist work to Aquafin. One in three Flemish municipalities are customers of Aquafin.

Municipalities like working with Aquafin because….

• due to the projects we carry out for the Flemish Region, we have a helicopter view of the local water economy
• our area engineers have an in-depth knowledge of the municipality
• we are firmly committed to consulting and involving the municipality
• we have built a professional network with our technical partners
• they trust us to spend every euro they have available for sewage works well
• our stormwater plans are based on an integrated approach