Hamilton's water is a world silver medallist

24 February 2019

Independent experts have today named Hamilton as having the second best tap water in the world.

Samples from Wannon Water’s Hamilton Water Treatment Plant won silver at the International Water Tasting Competition in the United States.

The event, held in the historic West Virginian spa town of Berkeley Springs, attracted entries in a number of categories including municipal water, purified water and sparkling water. Known as the Olympics of Water, it is the longest-running and largest water tasting competition in the world.

The Hamilton water is sourced from the southern ranges of the Grampians National Park before being treated by Wannon Water and supplied to customers in Hamilton, Dunkeld and Tarrington.

It was selected as the best tap water in blind taste testing at a local, state and national level before being entered in the 29th annual Berkeley Spring competition.

Wannon Water’s longest-serving employee, Operations Manager John Harris was on hand to accept the international award, along with Western Treatment Operations Coordinator Tim Holmes.

A panel of 10 expert judges and more than 300 members of the public were involved in the tasting session today. The winning water was from Clearbrook in British Columbia, Canada, which also won the prize last year and is the biggest medal winner in the event’s history.

Judges commented on the “impressively high calibre of water entries”.

Mr Harris said he was proud of everyone involved at Wannon Water

“This is a win for us all – second best in the world.”

Wannon Water Managing Director Andrew Jeffers described the announcement as a coup for the Hamilton region.

“Recognition on the international stage is a huge accolade for our dedicated team of employees,” Mr Jeffers said. “It’s not just an honour for Wannon Water but a win for the entire area, giving people a great reason to visit, live, work and invest in Hamilton, Dunkeld and Tarrington.”

“We acknowledge, however, that we still have work to do to provide a similar level of satisfaction about the taste of water to customers in all our supply systems,” Mr Jeffers said.

“For example, water in Portland, Port Fairy and Heywood is supplied from a deep aquifer and, although it is safe to drink, it contains many natural minerals which can affect taste and smell.”

Mr Jeffers said Wannon Water is planning improvements to water treatment infrastructure across the region over the next four years. ‘We are also investigating options to improve water quality for customers in Portland, Port Fairy and Heywood.”