WATER ABLAZE - Patagonia Sin Represas

the firm announced a 31% rise in pre-tax profits to £346∙5 million.
The Consumer Council, a customers’ group, accused Thames Water of
continuing to miss their targets for the past five years: “Thames Water are
making big profits and there is a credibility gap between making large profits
and asking customers to save water. People are paying more for their water
bills and have every right to expect what they are paying for, which is a service
that includes all the benefits the company has promised to deliver.” In July
2006, instead of a fine, which would have gone “to the Exchequer”, the
company was required to spend an extra £150 million on repairs. In
June 2007, Thames Water proclaimed that it had met and exceeded the
2006/07 leakage target set by OFWAT, the first annual target the company
had fulfilled since 2000. A year later, Thames Water announced that,
subject to audit, it had met and exceeded the 2007/08 leakage target.
In January 2009, Thames Water was fined £125,000 and ordered to
pay £21,335 in clean-up and investigation costs after pleading guilty to
charges of polluting the River Wandle in September 2007.
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United Utilities (UK)
United Utilities is a British utility company with 9,000 employees and
headquarters in Warrington. Although it operates mainly in North-
West England, it serves a total of over 20 million people around the
UK and worldwide. Its water business is regulated under the Water
Industry Act of 1991.
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United Water (USA)
United Water Resources, founded as Hackensack Water Company in
1869, has grown into one of the largest U.S. water services companies.
Its headquarters are located in Harrington Park, New Jersey. The
company owns and operates water and wastewater utilities and also
has contracts to operate municipal network systems. United Water
serves about 7 million people throughout the USA. Paris-based Suez
Environnement, a global water and waste treatment company, is the
parent company of United Water Resources.
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Veolia Environnement S.A. (France)
Veolia is a multinational French company with activities in four
main areas: water, waste management, energy and transport services.
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