The Water Industry Operators Association of Australia (WIOA) is set to host the Ixom 2021 Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia competition for 2021, with state’s going head-to-head to decide who has the best drop.
Water authorities from various regional and metropolitan areas will participate in state heats where water samples will be judged on qualities like colour, clarity, odour and mouthfeel during blind taste tests.
The top drop from each state will be announced on 16 November 2021 before the state winners battle it out for the top prize in Tasmania.
Tasmania has been chosen as the national championship location, with the event hosted by TasWater, as last year’s national champion and the winner of the 2021 Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition is from there.
SA Water’s Water Production Engineer, Liam Tothill, said crowd favourites Morgan and Woolpunda are again among the 2021 entries, and will be joined by high-quality samples from SA’s first seawater desalination plant at Penneshaw and competition first-timer, Leigh Creek.
“This year has it all – we’ve got treated drinking water from a range of sources including catchment and surface water stored in our reservoirs, the River Murray, groundwater and seawater,” Mr Tothill said.
“Depending on the source and system, each water has a different treatment process which ensures it’s safe and clean before being supplied to customers.
“Credit where credit’s due, our Morgan and Woolpunda chloraminated drinking waters have been popular among the judges in recent years with a few wins between them, and there’s no doubt they’ll be out to prove the Riverland has the state’s top drop.”
The winner of the Ixom 2021 Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia competition will hold the title for 12 months and go on to represent Australia at the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition held in West Virginia, USA.
WIOA Chief Operations Officer, Craig Mathisen, said, “The competition will recognise and acknowledge the individuals and organisations that are stepping up, some in very trying circumstances, to make sure their communities are supplied with safe drinking water every day.”
“We want to use the competition to let people know the great work that is going on in local communities around Australia and help shape and secure Australia’s water future.
“WIOA would also like to acknowledge Ixom’s support of the Best Tasting Tap Water competition in these uncertain times. We have been able to run the competition because of their unwavering commitment and support to the industry.”
Water industry organisations are promoting the benefits of making better use of the water we have, along with looking at all the alternative water sources to supplement supplies.
David Head, Ixom Managing Director & CEO, said, “Ixom is proud to be the sponsor of the prestigious 2021 WIOA Best Tasting Tap Water competition.
“WIOA invites all water boards and authorities to participate in the competition in its search for the best tap water in each state and nationally. Water will be judged based on its colour, clarity, odour and taste.
“Ixom has been involved in water treatment for almost a century. We supply water treatment chemicals to water treatment plants all over Australia to help ensure that Australia continues to have world renowned, high quality water.”
The state competitions for NSW/ACT, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria will be held online on Tuesday 16 Nov. The National Championship will be held in Tasmania in early 2022.
Water samples are judged according to the Water Tasting Wheel which outlines some of the attributes that water professionals use when judging water.
For more information, please visit https://wioa.org.au/tastetest/.
To see the now announced winners, click here.
