With the support of the World Bank, and following the model used in other countries in the region such as C?te d'Ivoire, the government of Guinea used the privatization of the production and distribution of potable water to respond to the growing needs of Conakry, its capital. Our study shows not only that the water supply is insufficient, but that the shortage mostly affects the poor. This leads households to resort to other methods of gathering water, depending on its intended use, and according to the characteristics of the household, such as income, professional status, the characteristics of the area, and the type of dwelling. This study shows how important each household characteristic is to the methods used to access water.