Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos
An Argentine state-owned utility providing running water and sewer services primarily in Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos, generally known as AySA, is an Argentine state-owned public utility responsible for supplying running water and providing sewerage services in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and 25 partidos of Greater Buenos Aires. Its activities include the production and treatment of potable water, transmission through primary infrastructure, distribution to users, wastewater collection, sewer-network operation and wastewater treatment. The company was created in 2006 after the Argentine government revoked the concession previously granted to Aguas Argentinas. That concession had originated during the privatization program of the 1990s, when the national water and sanitation organization Obras Sanitarias de la Nación was transferred into a private operating arrangement involving Suez Environnement, Aguas de Barcelona and Banco Galicia. AySA was established as the public successor for the relevant metropolitan services after the concession was rescinded during the administration of President Néstor Kirchner. AySA is a public-infrastructure operator rather than a consumer-goods brand. Its value proposition is based on continuity and coverage of essential services, network maintenance, sanitation, public health and long-term infrastructure expansion. The company’s work encompasses large-scale water-treatment plants, pumping and transmission systems, distribution networks, sewerage networks, wastewater-treatment facilities and related construction and maintenance programs. At its formation, 90 percent of the company was placed under state control and 10 percent was allocated to employees. Institutional responsibility was initially associated with the Ministry of the Interior, Public Works and Housing and later with the Ministry of Public Works after ministerial responsibilities were reorganized. This ownership and governance structure gives AySA a close relationship with national public policy, public investment decisions and the regulatory framework for water and sanitation in Argentina. AySA’s history reflects the broader evolution of Argentine water services. Earlier systems were developed through public institutions, especially Obras Sanitarias de la Nación, founded by statute in 1912. That organization expanded water and sewer services across Argentina before responsibilities were decentralized and, in 1980, the national service structure was narrowed largely to Buenos Aires. The later privatization and return to public control shaped AySA’s institutional identity and its role in metropolitan infrastructure. The company reported approximately 8,000 employees as of May 2022 in the cited reference material. In 2015, its sewerage system was reported to reach 7,207,546 people. These figures describe the scale of the utility’s public-service role, although they do not by themselves establish current coverage or staffing. AySA remains an active Argentine water and sanitation operator, with its principal responsibilities concentrated in the Buenos Aires metropolitan service area.
History
The institutional history behind AySA extends back to the development of public water infrastructure in Buenos Aires. In 1824, the government of Buenos Aires contracted an international loan from Baring Brothers intended partly to support a potable-water system and port works, although the planned works were not completed. A more durable national framework emerged with the creation of Obras Sanitarias de la Nación, or OSN, under Law 8,889 on July 18, 1912. OSN was associated with the first national sanitation plan and gradually expanded water services beyond Buenos Aires. By 1910, before OSN was formally established, 14 Argentine provincial capitals had running-water systems, and four also had sewer systems. Following the 1955 overthrow of President Juan Perón, investment in water infrastructure declined sharply. Preventive maintenance was reduced and works were increasingly limited to urgent interventions. Inflation and institutional changes further weakened the condition of networks and facilities. From the 1960s, OSN increasingly worked alongside local cooperative companies serving smaller communities, decentralizing some operations. During the administration of Héctor Cámpora, a water-treatment plant was built at General Belgrano to supply parts of the southern Buenos Aires region; construction was completed in 1975. In 1980, water services were transferred to the provinces, while OSN’s direct focus became concentrated on Buenos Aires. The subsequent national privatization program under President Carlos Menem included the former OSN metropolitan services. Aguas Argentinas received a concession for the Buenos Aires area through a consortium involving the French-owned Suez Environnement, Spanish Aguas de Barcelona and Banco Galicia. The concession was initially designed to last 20 years and was later extended during the administration of President Fernando de la Rúa. The privatization period was accompanied by major changes in tariffs and service administration. OSN’s debts remained with the Argentine state rather than being assumed by Aguas Argentinas. The cited historical account reports a 74 percent tariff increase under Decree No. 999/92 and an 88 percent increase for residential users between May 1993 and January 2002. It also describes declining service quality in parts of Greater Buenos Aires, limited investment and the cessation of some maintenance activity. Following the 2001 economic crisis, Aguas Argentinas reportedly suspended payments to suppliers and accumulated obligations to suppliers and the Argentine state. The concession ended in March 2006 during the presidency of Néstor Kirchner. The decision followed findings and criticism attributed to the Auditor General of Argentina, including a claim that only 12 percent of the water was treated and allegations involving invoices for works that had not been carried out and false addresses. These allegations formed part of the political and regulatory context for rescinding the concession; they should not be treated as independently adjudicated findings without consulting the underlying audit and legal records. AySA was then created as the public operator for the affected metropolitan services. Ninety percent of the company remained under state control, while 10 percent was assigned to employees. Its institutional oversight was initially connected to the Ministry of the Interior, Public Works and Housing and later moved under the Ministry of Public Works when ministerial responsibilities were reorganized. The company’s operating area includes the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and 25 partidos of Greater Buenos Aires. After its creation, AySA continued the core functions associated with metropolitan water and sanitation: potable-water production and distribution, sewer collection, treatment facilities, network maintenance and infrastructure expansion. The cited material reports that sewerage coverage reached 7,207,546 people in 2015 and that AySA had approximately 8,000 employees in May 2022. In 2019, Malena Galmarini became president and was identified as the first woman to lead the company. AySA’s continuing role is tied to public ownership, essential-service provision and the long-term development of Buenos Aires metropolitan water and sanitation infrastructure.
- 2022
Workforce reported at approximately 8,000 employees
[1]The cited reference reported that AySA had about 8,000 employees as of May 2022.
- 2019
Malena Galmarini appointed president
[1]Malena Galmarini became president of AySA and was described in the cited material as the first woman to lead the company.
- 2015
Reported sewerage reach exceeded seven million people
[1]The cited account reported that AySA’s sewerage system reached 7,207,546 people.
- 2006
AySA created after concession revocation
[1]The Argentine government rescinded the Aguas Argentinas concession and created AySA as the public operator for the relevant metropolitan services.
- 1990
Buenos Aires concession privatized
[1]The Menem administration placed the former OSN metropolitan services under a concession held by Aguas Argentinas and its consortium partners.
- 1980
Water services transferred to the provinces
[1]The national water-service structure was decentralized to the provinces, leaving OSN focused on Buenos Aires.
- 1975
General Belgrano plant works completed
[1]A plant at General Belgrano was completed to supply parts of the southern Buenos Aires region.
- 1912
Obras Sanitarias de la Nación established
[1]Law 8,889 established Obras Sanitarias de la Nación, the public institutional predecessor within the history of Argentina’s national water and sanitation system.
Products and positioning
State-owned metropolitan water and sanitation utility
Public water utility service
Potable-water supply
AySA provides running-water service across its metropolitan territory. The service includes the operation of water-production and treatment assets, transmission infrastructure, pumping systems and distribution networks that deliver potable water to households, institutions and other users. As a regulated public utility, the offering is defined by network access and service continuity rather than by packaged consumer products.
Water infrastructure operation
Water treatment and distribution
The company operates the infrastructure required to treat raw water and move it through primary and secondary networks. This includes treatment processes, transmission lines, pumping facilities, reservoirs and local distribution assets. These functions support the delivery of public drinking water throughout the areas served by AySA.
Sanitation utility service
Wastewater collection and sewer service
AySA manages sewerage networks that collect wastewater from connected properties and convey it through metropolitan sanitation infrastructure. The service is a core part of the company’s public-health mandate and involves network operation, pumping, maintenance and the integration of local collection systems with larger treatment facilities.
Sanitation infrastructure operation
Wastewater treatment
The company operates wastewater-treatment infrastructure intended to process sewage collected from the service area before discharge or further handling. Treatment is part of AySA’s broader sanitation responsibility and is linked to the expansion, rehabilitation and maintenance of metropolitan sewer systems.
Controversies
2006
Aguas Argentinas concession controversy and revocation
The concession preceding AySA’s creation became the subject of criticism over service quality, investment and alleged irregularities. The cited account attributes to an Auditor General study claims concerning low wastewater treatment and invoices for nonexistent works or false addresses. The government revoked the concession in March 2006 and replaced the private operating arrangement with AySA. The allegations should be read as reported historical claims unless corroborated through the underlying audit and legal documents.
Brand decisions
2006
Return metropolitan water services to public controlStrategyBackground
The Argentine government ended the Aguas Argentinas concession after criticism of service performance, investment and alleged irregularities.
Action taken
It created AySA to operate the affected water and sewer services, with 90 percent of the company under state control and 10 percent assigned to employees.
Aftermath
AySA became the public utility responsible for the relevant services in Buenos Aires and 25 partidos of Greater Buenos Aires.
Recent events
- 2019
Malena Galmarini appointed president of AySA[1]
Leadership change
Malena Galmarini was appointed president of AySA, becoming the first woman to hold the company’s presidency according to the cited reference material.
Sources2 sources
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