Item 5.    Other Events.

           The following press release was issued today, Friday, 
           November 8, 1996:                       
                                
                                
               CONSUMERS WATER COMPANY INCREASES
             RESERVES FOR UNRECOVERED ENVIRONMENTAL
                         CLEAN-UP COSTS

                                                  Portland, Maine
                                                  November 8, 1996
     
     Peter L. Haynes, President of Consumers Water Company, announced 
that Consumers Ohio Water Company (COWC) today received an adverse 
judgment entered on Monday, November 4, 1996 by the Lake County, Ohio, Court 
of Common Pleas in its lawsuit to recover the costs incurred for the cleanup 
of a 1993 mercury spill.  As a result, COWC has increased the reserve 
previously taken to cover the cleanup costs by $560,000, which is $370,000 
or $0.04 per share after-tax.

     Mr. Haynes stated that a contractor released a small amount of 
mercury while removing instrumentation from one of COWC's water treatment 
plants during reconstruction.  The Company has previously disclosed that the 
total cost of the remediation was approximately $900,000 and continues to 
believe that it is not responsible for the spill.  COWC attempted to resolve 
the issue through negotiations with the contractor and its insurance carrier. 
The negotiations were unsuccessful, and the parties pursued the matter 
through the legal system.  In granting its motion for a directed verdict, 
and without the jury to which the case was presented being allowed to 
deliberate, the judge found the contractor not to be liable for any of 
the cleanup costs.  The Company is currently deciding whether to appeal 
the decision.  However, until the appeal, if any, can be heard, the remaining 
cost of the clean-up, together with legal costs incurred to date, will be 
added to the reserve and will be shown as a charge against 1996 fourth 
quarter earnings.
     
     Consumers Water Company is an investor owned water resource 
management company whose principal business is the ownership and management 
of water utilities.  Consumers provides water and wastewater services to 
over 220,000 customers in six states, as well as professional and 
engineering services to utilities through its subsidiary Consumers 
Applied Technologies.

                            SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the 
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorzied.

                                               CONSUMERS WATER COMPANY
                                                          (Registrant)



11/8/96                                        /s/ Peter L. Haynes
- -------------------                            -----------------------
Date                                           Peter L. Haynes
                                               Chief Executive Officer


11/8/96                                        /s/ John F. Isacke
- -------------------                            -----------------------
Date                                           John F. Isacke
                                               Chief Financial Officer