In 1985, Jacques Chirac, then Mayor of Paris decided to transfer the municipal water service into the hands of three private entities with a direct contract and without a public procurement procedure.

Eau et Force and Compagnie des Eaux de Paris had a 25-year concession for the distribution and customer services respectively related to the right and left banks of the River Seine.

In 1987, the water production and transport were delegated for a 25-years period to SAGEP, a semi-public company owned by Ville de Paris (70%) and Suez & Veolia (28%).

The city's water was then substantially managed by two private companies (Veolia and Suez) which the municipal government bought out.

[4] In 2010 the company began installing drinking fountains dispensing fizzy water in the city.