The state winners for the Ixom Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia 2021 competition, held on the 16 November, have been announced.
The state winners are:
- ACT/NSW: Richmond Valley Council – Casino Water Treatment Plant
- SA: SA Water/SUEZ – Anstey Hill Water Treatment Plant
- WA: Water Corporation – Wyndham Water Treatment Plant
- VIC: Westernport Water – Ian Bartlett Water Purification Plant, Bass
- TAS: Rocky Creek Water Treatment Plant
- Queensland was judged earlier in 2021 and the winner was: Mackay – Marian Water Treatment Plant
- No water from the NT was entered for 2021
The annual competition was held virtually with an interstate judging panel assessing samples from water treatment plants on colour, clarity, odour and mouthfeel.
The winner of the Ixom 2021 Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia competition will 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 this year’s state winners have large shoes to fill after Tasmania’s drop won the international competition in 2020.
“Australia’s currently sporting the crown of the world’s best tasting tap water with Tasmania’s victory last year – the first time we’ve won the award – so the pressure’s on for our states to come to the party and compete with the finest drops during next year’s showdown in the United States,” Mr Mathisen said.
SA Water’s Water Production Engineer, Liam Tothill, said it’s the first time in more than five years the accolade wasn’t taken out by one of the utility’s Riverland facilities.
“Anstey Hill’s bucked the trend of Riverland dominance and finally pulled one back for its metropolitan colleagues!” Mr Tothill said.
“We have to roll the years back to 2015 when Happy Valley claimed top drop in the inaugural competition, with the Morgan, Swan Reach and Woolpunda facilities enjoying the spoils ever since.
“Sourcing its water from either the River Murray or Millbrook Reservoir, Anstey Hill adopts a conventional filtration process before chlorinating the treated water to ensure it’s safe and clean for around 220,000 customers in Adelaide’s northern, eastern and north-eastern suburbs.
“The plant is the city’s second largest facility after Happy Valley and produced more than 30 billion litres of drinking water last financial year.”
