Competence models are proved as the most sufficient tool in order to support organizations and companies to achieve their main goals (e.g. selection of the most competent employees) and to enhance the offering training opportunities and help individuals with their personal performance. This article focuses on the identification of the main issues that will support the development of a successful and adaptable competence model in the water sector. An introductory overview of competence, competence model and competence modeling process is following by the investigation of the usefulness of the competence model in all the water sector domains. The scope of this study is the analysis of the water sector requirements for competence modeling, based on the initial results of a European survey that takes place in the context of EU project WACOM (www.wacom-project.eu).