LOS ANGELES, Apr 11, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Southwest Water Company (NASDAQ:SWWC) today announced that Cheryl L. Clary was promoted to chief financial officer, succeeding Richard J. Shields. Clary, 49, has been the company's vice president of finance since October 2004.

Anton C. Garnier, Southwest Water chairman and chief executive officer, said, "Cheryl Clary's promotion to the CFO position completes a planned transition that began in November 2004 when Richard Shields informed us of his desire to pursue career opportunities closer to his home. We appreciate Rich's many contributions and wish him success. He has agreed to assist the company with certain projects and initiatives in a consulting role.

"Cheryl brings an extensive and accomplished background to her new role as CFO, including oversight of decentralized finance and operational business units in company structures similar to ours," said Garnier. "Prior to joining Southwest Water, her career included senior-level finance positions with Jefferson Wells International and ARCO. I am confident in her ability to oversee Southwest Water's financial management and contribute to our strategic growth plans."

Clary stated, "I am excited about this opportunity to continue working with the Southwest Water board of directors, Tony and our outstanding team of executives. I look forward to continuing and broadening the company's focus on profit improvement opportunities, enhancing internal controls, reducing our cost of capital and rationalizing our SG&A expense levels. Communicating Southwest Water's growth strategy and investment attributes to the financial community also will be an important part of my responsibilities."

Southwest Water Company provides a broad range of operations, management and maintenance services, including water production, treatment and distribution; wastewater collection and treatment; utility billing and collection; customer service; and utility infrastructure construction management. The company owns regulated public utilities and also serves cities, utility districts and private companies under contract. More than two million people from coast to coast depend on Southwest Water for high-quality, reliable service. Additional information may be found on the company's Web site: www.swwc.com.

SOURCE: Southwest Water Company

Southwest Water Company
Sandy Warren, 213-929-1800
www.swwc.com
or
PondelWilkinson Inc.
Robert Jaffe, 310-279-5969
www.pondel.com