Summary in English

The Swedish Water Supply and Sewage Tribunal adjudicates disputes relating to water supply and sewerage under the Public Water Supply and Wastewater Systems Act (SFS 2006:412) and the Swedish Water Supply and Sewage Tribunal Act (SFS 1976:839). The Tribunal is the court of first instance for the country as a whole. Appeals against the Tribunal’s decisions can be lodged with the Land and Environment Court of Appeal and, in the last instance, the Supreme Court.

The parties to disputes relating to water supply and sewerage are:

• the operator of the system (‘the operator’)
• normally, the owner, or leasehold owner, of the property in question

Disputes that are referred to the Tribunal may, for example, relate to the obligation to pay a charge or to the amount of the charge, to the right to use the system or conditions for use, to the imposition by the operator of rates or conditions for use, to the interpretation of agreements concluded by the parties, the right to cut off the water supply, liability for damages etc.

The main purpose of the Public Water Supply and Wastewater Systems Act is to ensure that water supply and sewerage services are provided for dwellings and households. It applies to detached houses and apartment buildings or similar properties that are situated in the service area of a public water system. The Act may also be applicable to industrial, office and commercial properties that are situated in a service area.

The Swedish Water Supply and Sewage Tribunal consists of a legally qualified judge, who is President of the Tribunal, and five other members who are experts on technical and practical matters relating to water supply and sewerage. Legal and administrative staff are employed in the Tribunal’s offices in Stockholm.