Hamilton wins Australia's best tasting water
17 October 2018
Hamilton has the best tasting drinking water in Australia.
The announcement has just been made at the fourth annual Ixom Best Tap Water in Australia competition held in Toowoomba, Queensland.
A sample from Wannon Water's Hamilton Water Treatment Plant won the Victorian title in Bendigo last month. Hamilton then competed against the winner of four other states for the honour of having Australia's top drop.
Members of the public at Toowoomba's Grand Central Shopping Centre were invited to judge the five samples from Hamilton, Yeppoon in Queensland, Port Macquarie in New South Wales, Greater Hobart in Tasmania and Woolpunda in South Australia.
The Water Industry Operators Association of Australia (WIOA) organised the competition which is judged using a blind taste test. Samples are scored against a range of criteria including colour, clarity, odour and mouthfeel.
Hamilton will now represent Australia at the annual International Water Tasting Competition held at Berkeley Springs in West Virginia, USA in February next year.
Raw water for the Hamilton Water Treatment Plant is sourced from streams in the southern ranges of the Grampians National Park, about 50 kilometres to the north-east. Once treated, the award-winning water supplies 6,000 customers in Hamilton as well as the townships of Dunkeld and Tarrington.
Wannon Water Managing Director Andrew Jeffers paid credit to the dedicated local team who operate the water treatment plant.
"The Australian title is a tribute to their hard work and passion in ensuring that our customers receive clear, fresh drinking water every day," Mr Jeffers said.
Wannon Water's longest-serving employee, Operations Manager John Harris, was in Toowoomba to accept the award, along with Western Treatment Operations Coordinator Tim Holmes. It capped off a huge year for Mr Harris who also received a coveted WIOA life membership - the first for a Wannon Water employee, and just the eighth awarded in WIOA's 81 years.
Mr Jeffers urged the Hamilton, Dunkeld and Tarrington communities to celebrate and embrace the win. "The Best Tap Water in Australia title provides valuable opportunities for future investment and promotion. It boosts community pride and is another feather in the cap for south-west Victoria."
