ALBANY, NY, Sept. 3, 2015 -- The New York State Department of Health (DOH) recently announced that the Blue Mountain Lake Water District in Hamilton County, N.Y., has been named the winner of the 29th Annual New York Tap Water Taste Contest, held at the New York State Fair in the city of Syracuse.
The New York State Tap Water Taste Contest is a friendly, non-scientific competition intended to highlight the importance of taste and quality in drinking water, a vital public health resource.
"Access to clean, healthy water is essential for all New Yorkers" said New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. "This friendly competition highlights one of our most precious resources: safe, great tasting water. Congratulations to the Blue Mountain Lake Water District and to all of this year's competitors.
The results were announced at the Syracuse Fair. More than 200 fairgoers put their taste buds to the test to select the winner from five water systems that won regional contests. The regional finalists competing in the championship round were:
- Western Region -- Village of Lyndonville
- Central Region -- City of Ithaca
- Northern Region -- Blue Mountain Lake Water District
- Capital Region -- City of Schenectady
- Metropolitan Region -- City of Mt. Vernon
DOH has regulatory oversight of all public drinking water systems in New York State. The 29th annual contest was sponsored by DOH under a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement with the DOH Environmental Health Specialist Water Program.
The Tap Water Taste Contest is also sponsored by the Water and Wastewater Education and Outreach Committee (WWEOC), which is comprised of state and local government agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency, professional associations, engineering firms, water operators, wastewater organizations, community leaders, and training providers.
Its mission is to elevate, promote and attract talented individuals into the water profession and to raise awareness of the value of water and wastewater services with the public and elected officials in New York State and nationwide.
See also:
"NYC to improve water quality, better control stormwater runoff under new permit"
"NY American Water signs acquisition agreement for Spring Glen Lake Water Company"
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