Oklahoma City Wins Best Tasting Tap Water Title At American Water Works Association's Annual Conference And Exposition
By Bill King, Water Online
Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust’s tap water was recently crowned “Best of the Best” after beating out the competition at the 2013 American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE) in Denver, CO. This is the ninth year AWWA has held the national competition.
Jeanne Bailey, Chair of AWWA’s Public Affairs Council, kicked off the final round of five tap waters to be tasted by recognizing the 23 section winners of water-tasting competitions that had taken place across North America. Then it was down to business as the judging panel began rating the finalists on their flavor characteristics.
Judges included Dr. Pinar Omur-Ozbek of Colorado State University and developer of the first international odor standard to be adopted and used for Flavor Profile Analysis of drinking water; Dr. Susan Mirlohi, a recent graduate of Virginia Tech and expert in water quality and treatment who has conducted research characterizing metallic off-flavors in drinking water; Ari Copeland, operational specialist for Black & Veatch; Kimberly Lord Stewart, director of content for Modern Healthcare Professional and contributing food editor for Denver Life magazine and CBS Denver; and Cathy Proctor, reporter for the Denver Business Journal.
As the judges tasted the waters and tabulated the results, the audience was entertained by Gary Burlingame, Director of the Philadelphia Water Department's Bureau of Laboratory Services. Burlingame explained to a large and growing audience in the middle of the exhibit hall that taste was more about the nose than the mouth and in large part came down to the odor of the food or drink being consumed.
Once the judging was complete, Bailey announced a tie for second place between the City of International Falls, MN, and Northeast Sammamish Sewer and Water District from Sammamish, WA, before announcing Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust as the winner. This is the second time the utility has won the “Best of the Best” title. The utility delivers tap water to more than 200,000 homes and businesses, and more than 20 nearby communities and water districts through a system of more than 3,200 miles of underground pipes.
The People’s Choice award winner, as determined by the conference attendees in Denver, was Louisville Water Company from Louisville, KY.
Attendees of the AWWA’s 2013 Annual Convention and Exposition eagerly await the winner of the “Best of the Best” tap water tasting competition.
Douglas Holmes, plant manager of Oklahoma City’s Hefner Water Treatment Plant, is awarded the “Best of the Best” Taste Test trophy from Jeanne Bailey, Chair of the AWWA’s Public Affairs Council.