Illinois Water Tastes Best
When it comes to flavor, the drinking water in Champaign, Illinois beat the rest in a taste test.
Illinois American Water, Champaign District won top honors at the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Water Taste Test held at the organization’s 124th Annual Conference and Exposition in San Francisco.
The national competition pitted regional water-tasting winners against one another in an in-depth water profile analysis.
“We take a lot of pride in delivery the best quality water to our customers,” said Walter Voegel, production operations superintendent, Illinois American Water. “This win is truly a testament to the hard work of the employees of Illinois American Water.
Illinois American, which provides water to Champaign residents and re-sells water to three other Illinois towns, previously won the Illinois Section AWWA tasting competition.
Other regional winners competing for the national honor included Catoosa, Georgia Utility District, and Hawaii’s Kahili Mountain Park Water System on the island of Kauai, as well as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
A judging panel rated each water system on taste and odor, the determining flavor characteristics.
The judges said it was a close competition decided by very few points. They agreed that the Illinois America water tasted both pure and slightly sweet, a high quality water.
The conference hosted 12,000 water professionals and 500 exhibitors. who attended a professional program with more than 100 sessions.
Topics covered included infrastructure management, security, emerging issues, water conservation and water resources, and legislative and regulatory issues.
Provided by the Environmental News Service.
