Exhibit 99.1

           Southwest Water Company Declares Cash Dividends


    LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2007--Southwest Water
Company (NASDAQ:SWWC), a leading provider of water, wastewater and
public works services, today announced that its board of directors
declared quarterly cash dividends of $0.0576 per share of common stock
and $0.65625 per share of Series A preferred stock. The dividends are
payable on October 19, 2007 to stockholders of record as of September
28, 2007.

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

    CONTACT: Southwest Water Company
             DeLise Keim, Vice President, Corporate Communications
             213-929-1846
             www.swwc.com
             or
             PondelWilkinson, Inc.
             Robert Jaffe, 310-279-5969
             www.pondel.com