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Like fine wine, the water is divine – Article from Raleigh News and Observer
By LiveOakHomes | February 15, 2010
When it comes to liquid refreshment, some like it soft and easily palatable.
Others like it with a hint of salt.
But when it comes to her own drinking water, Diondra David of Nottingham Drive likes it simple.
“Water should be pure, clean,” David said. “It should be fresh. And it should be tasteless.”
David describes Cary’s water that way.
Which only bolsters the town’s latest distinction.
The North Carolina chapters of the American Water Works Association and Water Environment Association, at a recent taste test, gave Cary and Apex the title of best-tasting drinking water in the state.
The towns, which share a water facility, were crowned at the N.C. AWWA-WEA 89th annual conference in mid-November.
The southwest Wake County plant bested 26 other utilities across North Carolina in the 2009 Best Tasting Water competition, according to judges who cleansed their palates with crackers between tastings.
Folks in both towns are taking the distinction to heart.
Kevin Ghiold and Brad Thompson, both students at N.C. State, enjoyed some of Cary’s award-winning water while dining at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in the Crossroads Plaza shopping center on Monday.
“I’m picky about my water,” said Ghiold, who noted his parents are environmental geologists who use water filters in their home. “This water is pretty good.”
In Apex, lifelong resident Robin Bridgers slurped up water from a fountain at KX Fitness.
“This is the peak of good living,” Bridgers said. “… I’ve never been afraid to drink the water in Apex. I’ve been drinking it all my life.”
Cary-Apex plant’s director, Kelvin Creech, said the title boosts the towns’ images.
“It’s great for publicity – and bragging rights,” Creech said. “That’s just the way it goes.”
Steve Brown, Cary’s director of public works and utilities, said last year’s win marked the second time the Cary-Apex plant topped the list.
According to the group’s Web site,Cary-Apex tied Fayetteville for first place in 2005.
Other Triangle utilities to win the contest include the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, which earned top honors in 1988, 1989 and 2003.
Durham won twice, in 1999 and 2006.
‘Swish it around’
Creech said the contest is strictly controlled and works much like a wine tasting.
He said participating utilities are required to submit samples of their water in two-liter containers that are unmarked, save for a tag that can be easily removed.
“It keeps it all anonymous,” he said.
A panel of five judges then tastes each of the samples in succession, Creech said. “They take it and swish it around,” he said. “Then they take unsalted crackers to cleanse their palate.”
Creech said it’s difficult to know exactly what appeals to each of the judges, who average out their respective scores to determine a final winner.
Lindsay Roberts, director of the NC AWWA-WEA, did not return phone calls seeking comment about the water competition.
Creech said he figures the success of the Cary-Apex plant might be linked to the installation of a new water treatment system that infuses ozone into the water.
He said ozone eliminates unpleasant tastes and odors in water that are often attributed to algae.
jordan.cooke@nando.com or 919-460-2609
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