• Drinking water utility secures honor at American Water Works Association's Annual Conference and Exposition
TORONTO, ON, Canada, June 26, 2007 -- The American Water Works Association (AWWA) today announced that Oklahoma City (Oklahoma) Water and Wastewater Utility won its annual "Best of the Best" Water Taste Test. The event, comprised of North American winners of state and regional water-tasting competitions, was held at the AWWA's Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE07) in Toronto.
The "Best of the Best" Water Taste Test pitted water utilities around North America against one another to determine which utility has the best tasting water.
Monte Hannon, Water Quality Superintendent of the Oklahoma City Water and Wastewater Utility, said, "We're extremely proud to be selected as the winner of the "Best of the Best" Water Taste Test. We know our competition was very impressive. This honor is a testament to all of our operators and employees who provide Oklahoma City residents with the best quality water available."
Oklahoma City Water and Wastewater previously won the AWWA Southwest Section tasting competition to earn a berth in today's event.
Second place in the competition was awarded to Water district No. 1 of Johnson County, Kansas. Local host Toronto Water earned third place.
Other "Best of the Best" participants in today's competition included: Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska; city of Minot Water Treatment Plant, North Dakota; Lake Utility Services Inc., Florida; city of Aurora, Illinois; city of Savannah, Georgia; Detroit Water And Sewerage Department, Michigan; city of Forth Worth Water Department, Texas; and Public Utility District of Skagit County, Washington.
An esteemed judging panel rated each water system on their flavor characteristics. Judges included Jennifer Bain, Food Editor of The Toronto Star; Joel Manning, Brewmaster of Mill Street Brewery, a leading Toronto microbrewery; Djanette Khiari, Chair of the AWWA Taste and Odor Committee; Mike McGuire, former Chair of the Taste and Odor Committee; and Mel Suffet of the School of Public Health at the University of California Los Angeles.
Suffet commented, "This was an extremely close competition decided by very few points. Each utility truly earned the right to take part in today's international competition. We appreciate every utility's interest."
ACE07 in Toronto is the 125th annual conference of AWWA and features the largest professional program of its kind. The ACE07 Exposition will also feature more than 500 manufacturers and consultants showcasing the latest products and services available to help ensure safe water.
AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and advocacy to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond. AWWA is the largest organization of water professionals in the world. AWWA advances public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the entire water community. Through our collective strength we become better stewards of water for the greatest good of the people and the environment.
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