作者提供了英格兰和威尔士供水服务私有化的历史和背景。1974年，政府实际上将该国的所有供水系统国有化，并成立了10家独立的公司来运营这些系统。14年后，它将这些股票私有化并在世界证券交易所上市。这里的讨论包括私有化模式和监管框架，包括经济监管、收费控制和质量控制。另一种选择是法国模式，市政当局拥有水厂，但它们由私营公司运营（通常由私营公司建造）。作者的结论是挑战美国考虑欧洲模式作为其自身问题的解决方案。

The author provides history and background on the privatization of water services in England and Wales. In 1974, the government in effect nationalized all water systems in the country and formed 10 separate companies to run them. It then, 14 years later, privatized and floated them on the world's stock exchanges. Discussion here encompasses the privatization model and regulatory framework, including economic regulation, control of charges, and quality control. Another alternative is the French model, in which municipalities own the water works but they are operated (and often built) by private companies. The author concludes by challenging the United States to consider the European models as solutions to its own problems.