California American Water Observes “National Drinking Water Week” By Encouraging Consumers to be “Water Wise”

California American Water today announced its nationwide participation in National Drinking Water Week, May 6-12, 2012. Throughout the week, California American Water will be raising awareness about wise water use and ways consumers can help to protect our drinking water.

California American Water’s activities are part of a national effort, sponsored by the American Water Works Association, which declared the week of May 6-12 “National Drinking Water Week”. For more than 30 years, this campaign has raised public awareness of the fundamental need for safe and reliable drinking water supplies, which is necessary for public health, fire protection, economic development and the overall quality of life of our communities.

“While we continually invest in our communities’ water infrastructure, the overall health and safety of our water supply is dependent upon the actions of each and every one of us,” said Rob MacLean, president of California American Water. “That is why we are participating in National Drinking Water Week, which encourages individuals to become more ‘water-wise’ and help preserve our most precious resource for future generations.”

Consumers can help maintain the quality and supply of our drinking water through the following actions:

• Be conscious of your daily water use and take the necessary steps in your home to be water smart and help preserve this precious natural resource.
• Be sure that leaking pipes and faucets – indoors and outdoors – are repaired.
• Take care in the use of garden, lawn, garage or other home products and ensure that they inadvertently do not find their way into groundwater.
• Dispose of chemicals or other potentially harmful products properly and do not pour them directly into home drains, the sewer, street drains or the lawn.

For more information on conservation at home or potential rebates on water efficient appliances, visit California American Water’s Conservation Page on the company’s website at http://www.amwater.com/caaw/. Here customers can find information on obtaining complimentary water-saving devices like kitchen aerators, showerheads, drip gauges and much more. In addition, customers can find information on rebates for appliances like high-efficiency toilets, clothes washers and other indoor and outdoor devices (availability varies based on service district).

California American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in more than 30 states and parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.