Charlottetown City Council displays the American Water Works Association championship trophy, awarded to the community with the best tasting tap water in North America. Charlottetown recently won the award at the AWWA Conference and Exposition in Anaheim, California. Back row, from left: Coun. Terry Bernard, Deputy Mayor Alanna Jankov, Coun. Julie McCabe, Mayor Phillip Brown. Front Row, from left: Coun. Bob Doiron, Coun. Justin Muttart, Coun. John McAleer, Water and Sewer Utility Manager Richard MacEwan, Coun. Kevin Ramsay, Coun. Norman Beck, Coun. Trevor MacKinnon.
The City of Charlottetown won the “Best of the Best” Water Taste Test at the 2024 American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exposition in Anaheim, California.
Charlottetown won the right to compete at the international competition after winning the Atlantic Canada ‘Best of the Best” Water Taste Test contest in October 2023. Charlottetown competed against 31 other regional champions from across North America to win the title.
“We are tremendously proud of our management and staff in the Water and Sewer Department to have won this competition,” said Mayor Philip Brown. “To receive this acknowledgement for the taste of our water makes all of us very proud.”
The Best of the Best Water Taste Test was determined by a panel of judges that included trained water flavor profilers. The water was judged on features such as appearance, mouth feel and overall taste.
The Charlottetown Water and Sewer Utility has a long history of delivering water to the residents of Charlottetown beginning in 1887. The Utility owns and operates four wellfields and two booster stations with storage reservoirs providing water to residents of Charlottetown.
“We’re very pleased to receive this recognition demonstrating another aspect where our community stands out in the continent,” said Councillor Bob Doiron, Chair of the Water and Sewer Committee. “Water is something we all need and having the “Best of the Best” in North America is a title we will carry with pride.”
Second place in the Best of the Best Water Taste Test went to the New Jersey American Water in Camden, New Jersey and third place went to Northeast Sammamish Sewer & Water District in Sammamish, Washington.
The event brought an estimated 11,000 water professionals to Anaheim. The conference is the longest-running water conference in the world, having first convened in 1881. The event featured more than 440 expert presentations and an exposition featuring more than 450 exhibitors.