From Winning Water to Livingstone Lager
Water from Livingstone Shire Council’s Capricorn Coast Scheme was selected as the state’s top drop in the 2017 Ixom Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test as part of the Queensland Water Directorate’s fourth Annual Forum held at the QUU Innovation Centre at Luggage Point on Wednesday, 6 September 2017.
Around 60 forum delegates participated in a blind taste off of six water samples from across Queensland, using a scientifically proven water wheel to judge the entries by colour, odour and taste.
Livingstone Shire Councillor for Water, Waste Management and the Environment, Adam Belot said the winning drop came from a pristine dunal water system at Waterpark Creek and treated at a conventional water treatment plant.
“As a Council, we are committed to providing the highest quality water to residents throughout the Shire,” Cr Belot said.
“Our crystal clear water has long been recognised as being some of the purest water in Australia… and now it’s official! I would like to congratulate the dedicated and professional Council team who operate the Woodbury Treatment Plant. They are constantly striving to maintain the highest quality water for our residents and best practice treatment techniques and are doing a great job.”
Livingstone's water has now been used to produce a limited edition Livingstone Lager - with a pineapple twist. The brew will be used as prizes for special guests and speakers at our conferences and events.
The runner-up was Seqwater with water from the Gold Coast's Tugun Desalination Plant coming in at a close second.
While the Queensland competition has been running for several years, it has now grown to become a coveted national competition with the Water Industry Operators Association (WIOA) introducing it in NSW, ACT, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
Toowoomba Regional Council has been basking in glory for the past year, taking out the 2016 Queensland title as well as the 2017 Water of Origin against NSW, where Queensland has reigned supreme for the past four years!
The winning water went on to compete and win the Best Tap Water in Australia competition before representing Australia at the International Water Tasting Competition held in the USA in 2018. What a great achievement!
The taste test is about more than just how good the water tastes: it is a way to help inform the community about how much effort goes into providing quality drinking water – an essential, sustainable service provided 24/7 by the staff of our local water utilities.