Bournemouth Water provides drinking water to approximately 500,000 people from the port town of Poole to Beaulieu in the New Forest and from Bournemouth to Salisbury in Wiltshire, an area of over 1000 square kilometres.

The Bournemouth Company were the alternative supplier of gas until nationalisation of the gas industry in 1949 In 1863 Bournemouth Water was established with waterworks in Bourne Valley and a reservoir in Parkstone.

In 1994 Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water was formed as the two companies merge.

In July 2010 Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water was acquired by Sembcorp Utilities.

[2] Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water plc's registered name was changed to Sembcorp Bournemouth Water Ltd on 21 January 2011; formerly named Sembcorp Bournemouth Water plc for less than 24 hours on that date as part of an efficient mergers and acquisitions deal.