Exhibit 99.1


  Southwest Water Appoints David Stanton as Chief Operating Officer


    LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 2007--Southwest Water
Company (NASDAQ:SWWC) today announced the appointment of David Stanton
as chief operating officer, a previously vacant position.

    "David's extensive knowledge of the water and wastewater business,
as well as his expertise in the areas of business development, finance
and operations, make him ideally suited for this new role," said Mark
Swatek, Southwest Water chief executive officer and chairman. "I am
confident that under David's leadership, the execution of our plan to
grow the business, unify our operations and streamline our processes
will be greatly enhanced."

    Stanton, 42, joined Southwest Water in November of 2006 as
executive vice president of strategic development. Previously, he
served as executive vice president of Earth Tech, the international
environmental water and wastewater services provider division of Tyco
International, Inc. Earlier, Stanton held senior management positions
with a number of companies in the water and wastewater industry,
including Waterlink, Inc., ITEQ, Inc. and Wheelabrator Technologies,
Inc. He earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering
from Cornell University.

    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 in 10 states depend on Southwest Water for
high-quality, reliable service. Additional information may be found on
the company's website: www.swwc.com.


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