Consumers Ohio Water Company Changes Name to Aqua Ohio, Inc.; Customers Will See New Name and Logo over Next Several Weeks.

Business Editors

BOARDMAN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 2004

Consumers Ohio Water Company, which serves water to approximately 288,000 residents in seven counties throughout Ohio, has officially changed its name to Aqua Ohio, Inc. consistent with the name change of its parent company, Aqua America, Inc. (NYSE:WTR), formerly Philadelphia Suburban Corporation.

"The Aqua America Board made the decision several months ago to change the company's name to Aqua America to reflect its position as the nation's largest publicly-traded water utility based in the U.S.," explained Aqua America Chairman and CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis. "We decided to use the name 'Aqua' at all of our subsidiaries as well as the name of the state in which each utility does business. Therefore, in Ohio, the company name changed to Aqua Ohio."

Aqua Ohio President Walter J. "Buzz" Pishkur said, "While the Aqua America name reflects our national presence, our U.S. roots in the water business and the fact that we remain a domestic company, the Aqua Ohio name reflects our specific commitment to providing quality water and reliable service to our customers in Ohio. We will continue to be a local company with expanding national resources and technical expertise."

Pishkur said that customers will begin to see the new name and logo over the next several weeks. "The changeover to the new name and brand will be a gradual one. The first change customers will see will be on their bills. Not long afterward, we will change out our vehicle and building signage as well as the logos on our employee uniforms. However, beyond the new name and logo, the impact of the name change on customers will be minimal. Our phone numbers, hours of operation and bill payment methods will all remain the same. The only thing that will change is our Web address. Customers can now find us on line at www.aquaaohio.com."