The American Water Works Association announced
today that Boston Water and Sewer Commission of Boston, Mass. has won the tenth
annual “Best of the Best” Tap Water Taste Test. Second place in the competition
was given to another Boston, Mass. water utility – Massachusetts Water
Resources Authority. The event, composed of regional winners from water-tasting
competitions across North America, was held at AWWA’s Annual Conference and
Exposition (ACE14) in Boston, Mass.
Boston is home to New England’s oldest and largest water and sewer systems,
which are owned, maintained and operated by Boston Water and Sewer Commission.
Established in 1977, BWSC continues to provide water and sewer services to more
than one million people every day.
Third place in the
competition was given to the City of Kalama, Wash. The People’s Choice award
winner, as determined by the conference attendees, also went to the City of
Kalama, Wash.
Other “Best of the Best” participants in today’s competition included: Ave
Maria Utility Company, Ave Maria, Fla.; Big Sky Water and Sewer District No.
363, Big Sky, Mont.; Capital Region Water, Harrisburg, Penn.; City and Borough
of Juneau Water Utility, Juneau, Alaska; City of Alcoa, Tenn.; City of Chelsea,
Mich.; City of Hamilton, Ohio; City of Meridian, Miss.; City of Olathe, Kan.;
City of Raleigh, N.C.; City of Sioux Falls, S.D.; City of Toronto, Ont.; City
of Tulsa, Okla.; Clear Water Service Corp., Mattoon, Ill.; DC Water,
Washington, D.C.; Fremont Dept. of Utilities, Fremont, Neb.; Greenville Water,
Greenville, S.C.; Halifax Water, Halifax, N.S.; I&D Water, Savannah, Ga.;
Madison Water, Madison, Wisc.; Marin Municipal Water District, Corte Madera,
Calif.; Oklahoma City Utilities Department, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Puerto Rico
Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, San Juan, P.R.; Town of Erie, Colo.; Township of Livingston,
N.J.; Trinity River Authority of Texas, Euliss, Texas; Weber Basin Water
Conservancy District, Layton, Utah and Western Virginia Water Authority,
Roanoke, W.Va.
An esteemed judging
panel rated each water system on its flavor characteristics. Judges included
Roy Desrochers, sensory practice leader for GEI Consultants, Inc.; James
Naylor, project manager at Alan Plummer Associates; Matt Tolcher senior project
manager with Jacobs and Peter Howe, business editor for the New England
Cable News.
This is the tenth year AWWA has held the national competition. Previous winners
are Oklahoma City Water and Wastewater Utility (2007 and 2013), Fremont, Neb.
(2012), Greenville, S.C. (2011), Stevens Point, Wis. (2010), Macon (Ga.) Water
Authority (2009), Louisville (Ky.) Water Company (2008) and Illinois American
Water, Champaign District (2006 and 2005).
