South Australia will vie for the title of Australia’s best tasting tap water at the upcoming IXOM 2024 Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia competition. Organised by the Water Industry Operations Association of Australia (WIOA), this year’s challenge will take place on Saturday, November 16th during the JackJumpers Family Day in Hobart, Tasmania. BHP’s Olympic Dam Desal Plant will represent South Australia as the state champion.
The annual competition pits winners from regional and metropolitan water authorities across Australia, who have won their respective state competitions earlier in the year. These state champions will compete at the national level, testing not only the taste but the quality of the water they provide. Competing states will include Victoria, represented by Yarra Valley Water, Queensland by Isaac Regional Council, and Tasmania by TasWater, among others.
The event aims not only to spotlight the most superior tasting water but also the intricate and essential service provided by water utilities across the nation. The winner of the competition gains not only national recognition but also the opportunity to compete in the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition in West Virginia, USA, set for February 2025.
This year, the competition’s host, TasWater, supports the event in Tasmania where they emerged victorious in the 2023 edition.
The judging process involves a blind taste test, adhering closely to standards outlined in the Water Tasting Wheel. Attributes such as colour, clarity, odour, and, most importantly, taste are meticulously evaluated. This method ensures a fair and unbiased selection of the best tasting water, similar to procedures used in wine tasting.
WIOA’s CEO, Dean Barnett, spoke about the effort behind the scenes to ensure community supply of safe drinking water. “The competition celebrates the efforts of individuals and organisations that tirelessly work to supply their communities with safe drinking water,” he stated, adding, “We want to draw people’s attention to the great work going on in their local communities.”
Bryce Wolfe, IXOM Chief Executive Officer said, “IXOM is proud to be the sponsor of the prestigious 2024 IXOM Best Tasting Tap Water competition.
“IXOM is a leading supplier of water treatment chemicals to the water sector. We’ve been a proud local manufacturer for more than a century, supplying chemicals to water treatment plants all over Australia to help ensure everyone has access to safe, clean and great-tasting drinking water.”
The winner of the 2024 IXOM Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia will be officially announced midday at the JackJumpers Family Day.
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