Esk Water Authority (trading as Esk Water) was established on 25 June 1997 as a Joint Authority under Section 38 of the Local Government Act 1993, and commenced operation on 1 July 1997.;;;;Esk Water was a bulk water business servicing the Launceston/Tamar Valley region in northern Tasmania, and supplies and is owned by the Launceston City, George Town, Meander Valley and West Tamar Councils.;;;;A review was announced by the State Government in 2006 to reform Tasmania's water and sewerage industry. The review was considered necessary as water and sewerage infrastructure wasn't being upgraded. ;;;;In 2008, State Cabinet approved a Taskforce recommendation to reform the industry and this was underpinned by the formation of four new regional water corporations to deliver the services, Southern Water, Ben Lomond Water and Cradle Mountain Water along with Onstream who provides a statewide common service for billing, information technology and payroll services.;;;;The water corporations officially began operating in July 2008 with the goal of improvement in services and the development of vital infrastructure.