Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE) was created on December 14, 1853 by imperial decree.
Francois Grandjovan won a contract with the municipality of Nantes.
Charles Blum created Compagnie Générale d'entreprises automobiles (CGEA).
100th anniversary of Compagnie Générale des Eaux
1953
100th anniversary of Compagnie Générale des Eaux
The same year Compagnie Générale des Eaux celebrated its centennial it was supplying eight million people with water in France over a 10,000-kilometer network. CGE was also branching out into new services, such as municipal waste collection.