BOZEMAN – For the second year in a row, Bozeman’s water has won the tastiest tap water in Montana at the Montana American Water Works Association Conference.
Bozeman’s tap water will now go on to compete against 42 other competing sections across the county at the American Water Works Association Conference in Las Vegas on June 13.
Bozeman Water & Sewer Superintendent, John Alston, said Bozeman’s water first comes from snowpack from Hyalite Lake, Sourdough Canyon and Lyman Creek Springs where it goes into the city’s drainage sites.
It then makes its way into one of the two treatment plants the city owns and out into the pipes for people to use.
“I think mainly it is our sources that we have. We have mountain water sources off snowpack, and we also have a great filtration system, a brand new plant and a very good distribution system that allows our water, basically from the time it is produced to the time it hits the tap is right around two days. So it’s not a very old water,” said Alston.
Jill Miller who works as the Assistant Superintendent of the Bozeman Water Treatment Plant on Sourdough said spring is the hardest season to produce clean water because of the dirt that is in the water due to runoff.
“The unique part about the taste test is, it is being done during runoff so we are having the most challenging water to treat and we are still producing very clean water,” said Miller.
Bozeman will now ship six liters of water to the national conference to be judged.
Greg Kail, AWWA’s Communications Director, said there will be judges who will score the various waters based on smell and taste. Kail said at least one Professional Flavor Profiler that will understand the water from an aesthetic point of view.
“They are looking for tastes that don’t belong, and really, the best tasting water is the water that tastes like nothing at all,” said Kail.
The national winner receives a traveling trophy to recognize the city’s delicious tap water.
Reporting by Mederios Babb for MTN News
