Walter Industries, Inc. announced that Mueller Water Products has selected Atlanta as its new corporate headquarters location. Walter is in the process of transforming Mueller Water Products into a separate, Fortune 1,000-sized, publicly traded company via an initial public offering by mid-year and spin-off to Walter Industries shareholders by late 2006.

Walter Chairman and CEO Gregory E. Hyland said he expected this announcement to have minimal impact on the existing headquarters staffs of Walter Industries in Tampa, FL, Mueller Water Products in Decatur, IL, U.S. Pipe in Birmingham, AL, and Anvil in Portsmouth, NH. The company expects the new headquarters to be established and staffed by the end of the year.

Walter Industries also announced that Mueller Water Products is closing its Milton, Ontario valve and hydrant manufacturing plant. Valve production at Milton will be transferred to Mueller's Chattanooga, TN, facility and hydrant production will be transferred to Mueller's Albertville, AL, plant. The Milton plant is expected to close by the end of July 2006.