Kelowna no longer “Best of the Best” for tap water taste

KELOWNA – The City of Kelowna is the defending champion and it was trying to retain that crown Thursday.

At stake: the right to claim the best tasting tap water in the province.

The Best of the Best Tap Water Challenge was held at the annual convention of the BC Water & Waste Association in Kelowna.

Fifteen domestic water purveyors from around the province participated in the competition.

“We’re looking for clarity of water, aroma, appearance and how it feels in the mouth. But mostly the taste and odour, how palatable it is,” says Gene Koontz, one of the four judges.

Bragging rights were on the line, but beyond that, there’s an underlying message to the event.

“The purpose of the taste test is to raise awareness of the value of our water supplies and the fact there really is no substitute for this precious resource we rely on every day,” says Tanja McQueen, the BCWWA’s executive director.

This year, the title “Best of the Best” was claimed by the City of Chilliwack which draws its tap water from a high quality aquifer.

“We’re lucky the water quality is so high we don’t even have to, like many of the municipalities, give pre-treatment before it’s even pumped into the pipes. It’s a little bit of chlorine and away we go,” says Chilliwack Director of Operations Glen Macpherson.

The other Okanagan entrants were Penticton, the Regional District of the North Okanagan and the Rutland Waterworks District.