The winner of the best tasting tap water for the NSW/ACT heat of the Ixom Best Tasting Tap Water competition was revealed at the 13th NSW Water Industry Operations Conference and Exhibition in Orange on 3 April 2019.
The competition saw Albury City Council, Orange City Council and Shoalhaven Water win their respective heats and go through to the finals.
Shoalhaven Water won the 2019 competition, and will go on to represent NSW/ACT at the national competition later in the year. The coming months will see water authorities from other regional and metropolitan areas compete in the remainder of the state heats. The top drop from each state will then battle it out for the national title during National Water Week. Wannon Water in South West Victoria, where last year’s national champion hails from, will host the national title.
The water samples are judged on qualities like colour, clarity, odour and mouthfeel during blind taste tests. Think wine tasting without needing to spit out the samples and you won’t be far wrong. A water tasting wheel is available to see the attributes that water professionals use when judging water.
Hosted by the Water Industry Operators Association of Australia (WIOA), the Ixom Best Tasting Tap Water competition is all in the spirit of good fun, but has is a meaningful undertone to it, recognising the hard work of those who ensure safe, clean drinking water is available to us, every day.
With such good quality tap water available in Australia, there’s no need to be spending money on bottled water which contributes so much waste to landfill every year.
The winner of the Ixom 2019 Best Tasting Tap Water competition will have bragging rights for the next 12 months and will go on to represent Australia at the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition held in West Virginia, US.
Stephen Rasdell, Ixom’s General Manager of Water, said that there’s an important reason for Ixom’s involvement in the taste test competition.
“We have been involved in Australian water treatment for some 80 years and are incredibly proud of the work being done in this space. IXOM has the expertise and experience to ensure high quality drinking water is supplied to homes around Australia.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this event and to celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and communities in supplying and maintaining exceptional water quality,” said Mr Rasdell.
Craig Mathisen, WIOA Chief Operations Officer, said, “Members of the general public would probably be surprised to learn the complexities involved in delivering high-quality water to our taps each day.
“The competition is a testament to the excellent quality of Australian water and to the diligence and commitment of the operational employees who deliver it to our communities’ day in, day out.
“Many of us turn on taps for a drink, to cook or shower, with little consideration of what it takes to operate and maintain the water infrastructure.
“We want to celebrate our unsung heroes — the water operators and the maintenance crews who work all year-round to ensure we have high quality water, which is essential to keep us alive,” he said.
