Although transnational water companies have suffered setbacks in places like Puerto Rico, Bolivia and Uruguay, they continue with plans to appropriate the region's hydrological resources—rivers, aquifers, wells and aqueduct systems. While "privatization" has become a loaded term in the water business, companies prefer a softer discourse, employing concepts such as "decentralization," "civil society participation" and "sustainable development."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/102105O.shtml