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(San
Antonio) June 12, 2006 – Illinois American
Water, Champaign District took home top
honors at the American Water Works
Association’s (AWWA) 2nd Annual
Water Taste Test held at AWWA’s Annual
Conference and Exposition (ACE) in San
Antonio, Texas. The ACE06 “Best of the Best”
Water Taste Test is a national competition
of winners of state and regional
water-tasting competitions.
“Our
operators work very hard to ensure the best
quality water is delivered to our
customers,” said Walter Voegel, production
operations superintendent, Illinois American
Water. “This win is truly a testament to
them and all of the employees of Illinois
American Water.”
Illinois
American, which provides water to Champaign,
Urbana,
Savoy, St. Joseph and Bondville, IL
residents and re-sells water to six other
Illinois towns and water districts,
previously won the Illinois Section AWWA
tasting competition. In a taste-off between
four of the nine competing utilities,
Illinois American remained the undefeated
“Best of the Best” champion.
Illinois
American Water Champaign District
represented AWWA’s Illinois section at the
taste test. The other section winners who
competed: Pasco County Utilities, Autumn
Oaks, representing the Florida Section; City
of Blythe Water Department, representing the
Georgia Section; Department of Water, County
of Kauai, Hawaii Section; M.H.O.G. Water
Authority, Michigan Section; Public Works
Commission, City of Fayetteville, North
Carolina Section, City of Salem (OR) Public
Works, Pacific Northwest Section; South
Toledo Bend (LA) Water District, Southwest
Section; and San Antonio Water System, Texas
Section.
An
esteemed judging panel rated each water
system on their flavor characteristics.
Judges included
Ed Tejerina,
a San Francisco Express-News columnist;
Marcia Torobin from the Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California, and Andrew
Whelton from Virginia Tech.
A close
competition decided by very few points, the
judges agreed that the Illinois America
water clean, a high-quality water.
Established
in 1881, AWWA celebrates its 125th
anniversary as the oldest and largest
nonprofit scientific and educational
organization dedicated to safe water in
North America. AWWA has over 57,000 members
worldwide and its 4,700 utility members
serve 80 percent of America’s population.
AWWA
is the authoritative resource for knowledge,
information, and advocacy to improve the
quality and supply of water in
North America and beyond.
AWWA is the largest organization of
water professionals in the world.
AWWA advances public health, safety
and welfare by uniting the efforts of the
full spectrum of the water community.
Through our collective strength we
become better stewards of water for the
greatest good of the people and the
environment.
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