'Refreshing' Greencastle water finalist for best tasting in the state

Wading into the deep end of competition, the City of Greencastle's water is one of four finalists vying for selection as the "Best Tasting Water in Indiana" during taste test competition at the upcoming Alliance of Indiana Rural Water (AIRW) Fall Conference.

Kevin Williams (right), water system operations specialist for Greencastle Department of Water Works, accepts the award for the Best Tasting Water in Region 3 of Indiana from Gordon Meyer of the Alliance of Indiana Rural Water.

The competition is scheduled for Oct. 17 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Fort Wayne.

Throughout the year, the Alliance has conducted four separate regional competitions around the state with the Greencastle Department of Water Works capturing regional competition last March during the AIRW Spring Conference in French Lick.

The Greencastle water entry -- a one-gallon sample submitted in a glass container -- was chosen by judges as the most appealing water in Region 3. Greencastle's water was judged as the tastiest in the region, based on clarity, odor and taste.

"It tasted clean, pure and refreshing," official judge Phil Bastin of the BBP Water Corp. said at the time.

"Because of the quality of this water, they have a good chance at the 'Best Tasting Water in Indiana' competition," Alliance of Indiana Rural Water Executive Director Connie Stevens noted.

Greencastle's water is a previous winner of the state taste award, having claimed the honor in 2009.

Other regional winners competing with Greencastle for the 2018 title of the tastiest water in the state are Fort Wayne City Utilities/Three Rivers Filtration Plant, the Town of Patriot Municipal Utilities and Kingsford Heights Municipal Utilities.

The competition is part of the Quality On Tap campaign to emphasize the high quality, standards and, consequently, taste of rural water.

Regional winners will be competing not only for bragging rights but also an all-inclusive trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the "Great American Water Taste Test."

The Alliance of Indiana Rural Water is a non-profit membership association of more than 800 water and wastewater systems and related professionals. The AIRW provides training and onsite technical assistance on Safe Drinking Water Act compliance issues, public health protection (as it relates to drinking water), managerial issues, financial issues and operational issues to water and wastewater systems in Indiana.