Mackay Water Crowned Top Drop Again
Date: 13-Sep-2022
Water from Mackay Regional Council’s Nebo Road Water Treatment Plant has claimed the top drop title in the TracWater Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test held on the Gold Coast on 7 September 2022.
Around 80 attendees at the qldwater Annual Forum sniffed, swirled, sipped and scored nine water samples in a blind taste-off event, selecting the Nebo Road sample as the best tasting water in Queensland. Entries poured in from Cairns, Cook, Ilfracombe, Isaac , Livingstone, Longreach, Mackay, North Burnett, Palm Island, Southern Downs and Woorabinda.
This was Mackay’s second win for the Nebo Road Water Treatment Plant but fourth win overall with water from the Marian Water Treatment Plant taking the crown in 2019 and 2021 and Nebo Road in 2018 and 2022. Other accolades for Mackay include winning the Water of Origin at the WIOA Conference in June 2022, the National Ixom Best Tasting Tap Water competition in 2019 and 2020 and winning silver at the 2020 International Water Tasting Competition in Berkeley Springs, USA.
Emma Fisher from Mackay Regional Council accepted the trophy on behalf of the Mackay water team. Emma said the win showed Mackay locals just how high quality the tap water was, thanking the "unsung heroes" at the Nebo Road treatment plant for their tireless efforts in providing safe, reliable water all year-round.
The winning sample is sourced from the Pioneer River and undergoes conventional treatment before being distributed to households and businesses in Mackay.
The runner up was Southern Downs Regional Council with water from the Wallangarra Water Supply coming in at a close second.
The qldwater state-wide taste test harks back to 2012 and it has since grown to become a coveted international competition with the Water Industry Operators Association (WIOA) introducing it in NSW, ACT, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand. It also includes the annual Water of Origin, where the winning samples from Queensland and NSW battle it out at the WIOA QLD Conference each year.
In 2021 Australia finally won the grand prize at the US event with Tasmania taking the international title. Aussie water has now won second place three times, with Wannon Water in Victoria finishing second in 2019 and Marysville Water from Victoria placing second in 2016. Toowoomba Regional Council made it to Berkeley Springs in 2018, first taking out the 2016 Queensland title, then the 2017 Water of Origin against NSW before finally claiming the Ixom Best Tap Water in Australia competition in 2017 and representing Australia at the world event.
The 2017 and 2020 QLD champions, Livingstone Shire Council, immortalised their winning water in a very tasty limited-edition craft beer – Livingstone Lager with a tropical twist of Pineapple.
“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,” qldwater interim CEO Mrs Linda Roberts said.