SA’s water reaching for top of tap at nationals

Water produced from SA Water’s Swan Reach Water Treatment Plant will this weekend compete for a chance at winning ‘best tasting tap water in Australia’.

The annual competition hosted by the Water Industry Operators Association of Australia (WIOA) and this year held in the home of the 2018 victor – Hamilton in Victoria – will see samples from six water treatment facilities across the country go head to head.

South Australia is yet to win the national title, but SA Water’s Senior Manager of Water Expertise and Research Dr Daniel Hoefel said he hopes 2019 will be the year.

“High quality tap water is produced right across Australia, and what’s supplied from our Swan Reach treatment plant is definitely among this mix,” Daniel said.

“The plant sources water from the River Murray and is treated using a disinfection method known as chlormaination, which gives the water a less distinct smell and taste compared to chlorinated supplies.

“Both these factors tend to bode well with people participating in our own blind water taste tests, and we’re hoping this translates to the national stage.

“We are of course eager to take out the top prize at Saturday’s competition, but are also just excited to showcase some of our best product.”

Water samples entered into the competition include from treatment plants at Bamarang in New South Wales (Shoalhaven Water), Mount Leslie in Tasmania (TasWater), Swan Reach in South Australia (SA Water/TRILITY), Wurdee Boluc in Victoria (Barwon Water), Mackay in Queensland (Mackay Regional Council) and Mundaring in Western Australia (WaterCorp/ATJV).

The winner of the national competition will go on to represent Australia in the international competition held next year in the United States.

WIOA Chief Operations Officer Craig Mathisen said all levels of competition provide an opportunity for people to try tap water from a range of sources which they may not have otherwise experienced.

“Among the judges at our events are several water industry experts, but community members from each of the host locations are also invited to sample our water wares using the criteria of colour, clarity, odour and ‘mouthfeel’,” Craig said.

“It’s fantastic to see people taking an interest in where their water comes from and how it makes its way to their tap, and this includes recognising the operators, who work behind the scenes to make the water safe, clean and good tasting.”

The SA Water-owned, TRILITY-operated Swan Reach Water Treatment Plant can produce up to 90 million litres of safe, clean drinking water a day, and supplies around 32,000 properties in South Australia’s Murraylands, Barossa and Clare Valley regions.

A further 28,000 homes and businesses, some as far as Yorke Peninsula, are also supplied a mix of water from Swan Reach and the nearby Morgan Water Treatment Plant via a long distribution pipeline.

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