Who is responsible for defective water services?

Kaivuri kaivaa omakotitalon vesiputkea maahan.

Is the quality of your tap water poor? Or is there no water on the tap at all? Whose job is it to make sure that water and wastewater services work properly?

According to the Water Services Act, water utilities are responsible for providing water and wastewater services for communities. In total, there are around 1,100 water utilities that meet this definition, the clear majority of them smallish water cooperatives set up by residents in sparsely populated areas.

Water utilities ensure that customers connected to the water distribution network are provided with tap water that meets the quality criteria. The water utility’s responsibility ends at the point where a property’s water pipe connects to the utility’s distribution network. From this point on the property owner, such as a housing company, is responsible for the quality and distribution of water.

The reasons that may result in disruptions in water distribution include power outages and pipe breakages. A breakage in the network must be repaired by the relevant water utility, whereas the property owner must fix a fault in the pipes for which the property is responsible.