How good is the water that comes out of your tap?
Key points:
- The water was judged by blind taste testers at a festival in Dunkeld, Victoria
- The Mackay Regional Council took out the award for the best tasting water in Australia
- Organisers are trying to raise awareness about protecting our water resources in the context of drought
This weekend, samples of tap water across the country were flown to Dunkeld, in regional Victoria, to compete for the prize of being Australia's best tasting water.
The samples came from Nowra, in New South Wales, Launceston, Tasmania, Swan Reach, in South Australia, Geelong, in Victoria, Mackay, in Queensland and Perth, Western Australia.
Organiser Craig Mathisen, from the Water Industry Operators Association of Australia, kept the 10-litre containers of water safe in his hotel room overnight.
Then, at a festival in Dunkeld, ordinary water drinkers were invited to do a blind taste test on the samples, which are served in 20-millilitre biodegradable shot glasses.
Mr Mathisen said the judges were encouraged to consider the clarity and smell of the sample, but ultimately it came down to the taste.
"The vernacular is similar to a wine tasting competition," he said.
"There may be an earthiness to the sample, or a fishiness, if it's come from a coastal area.
"In between samples, we actually get people to smell some coffee beans to neutralise their palate."
The water from the Marian Water Treatment plant from Mackay Regional Council, in northern Queensland, was chosen as the winner.
Mackay will go on to represent Australia at the Berkeley Springs International Tap Water Tasting competition in the US next year.
Competition highlights water security issues
With much of Australia in drought, the competition is about more than just a trophy.
It is also about highlighting water security and the science behind ensuring a good supply of safe drinking water.
Mr Mathisen said water providers were using the competition to discuss innovations in water supply.
He said the team from Western Australia was a good example.
"It's a mixture of desalination water, a ground water source, as well as a reservoir," he said.
"They mix the three of those sources, then put it through the treatment facility then pump it all the way to Kalgoorlie.
"So that water's journey may have been 600 kilometres out of where it was taken out of the sea as part of that desal process, and then the people of Kalgoorie do have a water supply."
He said the water companies will also be encouraging people to use water sparingly — although maybe not in 20 ml cups.
"Most people will have turned on the tap this morning, made a cup of coffee, had a shower, and not given much thought to the journey of that water at all," Mr Mathisen said.
"So for us it's raising an awareness of how precious a resource it is.
"So the conversation is about water scarcity and security, ensuring that future communities have got water supply that we all need — water sustains life, and without it we're nowhere."