HARRINGTON PARK,N.J., December 3, 2002 – United Water announced today that its subsidiary, United Metering, has been selected to install 55,000 new water meters in Fort Wayne, IN. Installation of the new automatic meter reading technology will take place over a 12-month period beginning in January 2003.

“We’re pleased to partner with ABB Water Meters, the lead contractor on this project,” said Larry Edwards, vice president of United Metering. “The new ABB meters, which use Itron data collection technology, will significantly increase billing accuracy for the residents of Fort Wayne.”

“When the project is completed, our employees will be able to obtain a reading right from the van,” explained Jerome Schoenle, superintendent of Fort Wayne’s water maintenance and services department. “The reading will be transmitted directly to an on-board computer. At the end of the day, that information will be downloaded directly into our billing system.”

The new equipment will reduce the number of estimated bills. It will also enhance efficiencies by enabling a meter reader to obtain about 7,000 readings per day compared to the current average of 375 per day.

This is the largest deployment of new meter reading technology in Indiana. The project, which is United Meter’s first in Indiana, marks the company’s continued expansion into the midwest, according to Edwards. United Metering is currently managing several large metering projects including installations in Washington, DC; New York, NY; and Houston, TX.

“We’re pleased to be part of Fort Wayne’s innovative undertaking,” said Edwards. “We look forward to working with the city officials, ABB and Itron to improve customer satisfaction and water service in the community.”

United Metering, formed in 1989, is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Water and provides a complete range of metering services to the water utility industry. United Water, which provides water services to 12.5 million people in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ondeo Services, the world’s leader in water services and part of the Suez Group (NYSE: SZE).

ABB Water Meters is the world’s leading water meter supplier, producing over eight million water meters each year. Ruhrgas Industries (RI) has reached an agreement with ABB to acquire ABB’s global water and electricity metering division to create a new global leader in utility metering. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the 4th quarter this year, following customary regulatory approvals, joining a world leader in water and electricity metering with $480 million in revenues and 3,900 employees in 50 countries with RI’s gas meter manufacturing unit to form the largest utility metering company in the US and the world with global metering revenues of over $1 billion.

Itron is a leading technology provider and a critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. More than 2,000 utilities worldwide rely on Itron technology to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water.