Abstract
Several forms of supra-municipal cooperation between water and wastewater utilities have evolved in Finland since the 1950s: bilateral contract-based, municipal federations or authorities operating on a wholesale basis as well as supra-municipal companies. These may take care of community water supply or sewerage, or both. This paper explores and analyzes the most common form of cooperation: contracts for water and wastewater services between neighboring municipalities. The extent of contractual cooperation until 2006 was explored by an inquiry sent to bigger water and wastewater utilities (n = 233 replies; 88 %). Compared to a study performed in 1975, the number of bilateral contracts had tripled. The study also included interviews targeting nine selected cases. We examined also the centralization of wastewater treatment when small plants are closed down and wastewater is directed to larger plants. Centralization has led to the construction of transfer sewers; the paper also explores their evolution from 1995 to 2015. Contrary to common arguments, contractual cooperation proved rather easy to manage and should be seen as a serious option for other tighter forms of supra-municipal cooperation that are also increasing.
Highlights
In Finland, water supply and wastewater services are managed at four major levels: supra-municipal, city and community, small rural systems, and private on-site systems
Supra-municipal cooperation can be divided into two major categories: cooperation based on established joint organizations such as companies or regional authorities, and cooperation based on bilateral contracts
The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze bilateral contractual cooperation in water and wastewater services in Finland: its extent, evolution, operational experiences, contents of contracts and core principles
Summary
In Finland, water supply and wastewater services are managed at four major levels: supra-municipal, city and community, small rural systems, and private on-site systems. Supra-municipal cooperation can be divided into two major categories: cooperation based on established joint organizations such as companies or regional authorities, and cooperation based on bilateral contracts. The first type of cooperation can take place under the framework of a company or a municipal regional authority that provides all the services of several municipalities, operating on wholesale basis, or performing all the operations in the service area. Due to long distances and the abundance of water, the coverage of public water services in the country’s sparsely populated areas is rather low compared to many other European countries. The share of citizens served by public water services has continuously increased in Finland and is currently close to 100 percent in densely populated areas [1]
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