U.S. Water Expands National Territory and Strengthens Presence in Southwestern United States with Acquisition

St. Michael, Minnesota – U.S. Water, an ALLETE Company (NYSE: ALE), today announced the acquisition Water & Energy Systems Technology, Inc. (WEST)

WEST, a strong regional company in the Southwestern United States, provides specialty chemicals and engineering service for water treatment in a variety of industries including commercial & institutional facilities, light industry, oil fields, and central heating/cooling plants. Located in California and servicing the Southwestern United States, the company has nearly two decades of experience in helping customers reduce operating costs related to water and energy usage and are dedicated to partnering with their customers to provide exceptional results.

“The addition of WEST to the U.S. Water family broadens our national footprint by adding a production facility to this part of the country and also strengthens our reach in several key industries,” said Allan Bly, U.S. Water CEO. “We are very excited to have WEST join the U.S. Water family. Their experienced and customer-focused engineers will be a great addition to our team.”

Headquartered in St. Michael, Minn., U.S. Water has a national footprint and serves a growing and diverse mix of over 4,000 industrial customers, including a significant number of Fortune 500 companies. U.S. Water provides integrated water management for industry by combining chemical, equipment, engineering and service for customized solutions to reduce water and energy usage and improve efficiency. U.S. Water has a deep commitment to addressing the water issues in California and the Southwestern United States and the acquistion of WEST will help to support efforts in this region.

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U.S. Water, an ALLETE company (NYSE: ALE), is an integrated industrial water management company headquartered in St. Michael, Minnesota. U.S. Water provides integrated water management for industry by combining chemical, equipment, engineering and service for customized solutions to reduce water and energy usage and improve efficiency.