BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aqua America, Inc. (NYSE: WTR) announced the appointment of John J. Aulbach, II, P.E. as president of its Virginia subsidiary, which provides drinking water and wastewater services to approximately 75,000 people in 38 counties and cities statewide. Aulbach succeeds Shannon Becker, who was recently named president of Aqua North Carolina.

Aulbach brings more than 34 years of water industry experience to his new role at Aqua Virginia. He joins Aqua from the Virginia Department of Health, where he most recently served as director for the Office of Drinking Water. Previously, Aulbach was an environmental engineering consultant for the Office of Environmental Health Services, and he served as a district engineer for the Office of Water Programs for more than 18 years.

“We’re fortunate to have a leader of John’s caliber join Aqua,” said Aqua America Chief Operating Officer Rick Fox. “John brings a proven track record in water and wastewater operations and management in Virginia and an overarching focus on customer satisfaction. I’m confident that he and our skilled and dedicated employees will continue to improve and strengthen Aqua’s water and wastewater service for our Virginia customers.”

Aulbach earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering from Virginia Tech. He is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia and has served on the boards of the Water and Wastewater Operator and Onsite Sewage System Professionals and the Virginia Resources Authority. Aulbach served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 30 years and retired in 2011 as a decorated colonel.

Aqua America is one of the largest U.S.-based, publicly traded water utilities and serves nearly 3 million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia. Aqua America is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol WTR. Visit AquaAmerica.com for more information, or follow Aqua on Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaAmerica and on Twitter at @MyAquaAmerica.