History

The joint stock water company Vodárny a kanalizace Karlovy Vary (Vodakva) was established on January 1, 1994 by privatizing the former state company after the separation of operational and infrastructural water assets. In 1994 Vodakva supplied drinking water to 40 municipalities from the Karlovy Vary region with about 112 000 inhabitants. However, its history dates back to 1882, when the first municipal water and wastewater company of Karlovy Vary was formed.

Municipalities, new owner of water and wastewater utilities, were responsible for carrying out the drinking water supply and wastewater treatment. They joined forces in 1993 and established the Water Management Association of Karlovy Vary Region. Its key objective was to carry out the management, operation and development of water supply and wastewater treatment systems of 40 municipalities in Karlovy Vary region. The Association became one of the two main shareholders of Vodakva, concluded a twenty-five-year exclusive lease with this operating company and transferred to Vodakva the responsibility for running and upgrading existing infrastructure.

The long-term operating contract with Vodakva and the fact that municipalities can exercise shareholders‘rights have led progressively to growing levels of all services concerning drinking water supply and wastewater treatment.

The quality of water supply and wastewater treatment has improved in most municipalities. Also higher level of equipment used by Vodakva nowadays has led to improved quality of provided services. The water supply and wastewater treatment systems management based on municipalities‘solidarity, their participation in the management and control of the operating company and the close cooperation between the owner of water infrastructure and its operator persuaded also municipalities from other regions to join it. While most water operators focused on common operation of water utilities, Vodakva was seeking to provide municipalities and customers with complete services that include besides common operation and management also permanent infrastructure upgrading in order to meet stricter demands on the quality of drinking water and outlet wastewater.

This approach, based on company’s qualified staff and its ability to optimize the relationship between operating and investing expenses, permitted to decrease water and sewerage rates below the average of the Czech Republic.

In 2000 the Water Management Association of Karlovy Vary Region and the region operated by Vodakva started to expand (first expansion phase) - eight municipalities from the districts of Karlovy Vary, Tachov, Sokolov and Rakovník joined the Association, the population supplied grew to 121 000.

Second expansion phase took place in 2001 - 2002; 22 municipalities and one association of municipalities from the districts of Tachov, Karlovy Vary and Sokolov became members of VSOZČ, the population supplied grew to 162 000. As a result of this expansion, the association changed its name on 1st of January 2001 to Water Management Association of West Bohemia Region. The last big expansion took place in 2004, when 11 municipalities and one association of municipalities from the districts of Sokolov, Chomutov, Karlovy Vary and Tachov joined VSOZČ and the population supplied grew to 180 000. Up to 2008 eight more municipalities became members of VSOZČ.

Declarations of new member municipalities confirm that the system of water management and operation is very effective, flexible and has great expansive potential. It is able to meet rising consumer‘s demands, stricter regulations for drinking water and environmental protection.