The best tasting tap water competition is a highly prestigious competition within the water industry, that is designed to be a bit of fun, but truly recognise the front-line operators that are providing water services 24/7, 365 days a week.
The Ixom Best Tasting Tap Water competitions are a fun and exciting way to raise awareness of the quality of drinking water and to recognise the efforts of local water service providers in delivering valuable water services to their communities. The winners are announced as having the Best Tasting Tap Water in the State.
Application form
Please complete an entry form and provide a physical copy of it with your samples.
Procedure
To qualify
To participate in this competition, you must be a water provider that provides water to a community
Your sample needs to be collected from a customer tap within the network
You must be the last company that has treated that supply
You must not have been issued with a water quality breach notice for that water supply region within the previous 12-month period
Sampling
Water sampling for the best tasting tap water competition is important and requires appropriate collection and transportation.
Samples should be collected by a person trained with correct sampling techniques.
Precautions must be taken to ensure contamination is not introduced into the sample which can lead to poor water quality results, or risk to the competition judges.
A total of 6 litres must be provided in a glass container that is not cooled and must be at room temperature. Note: no cooled samples in eskies will be accepted.
The sample bottle lids can be taped shut to validate that they have not been opened prior to the competition and will be stored at room temperature in a secure location.
The sample must be collected from a customers tap closest to the water meter within the water reticulation network.
The bottle must be clearly labelled with:
Appendix 1 – IXOM Best Tasting Tap Water Competition WIOA Application Form and arrive within 7 days of being collected and transported, in a non-cooling glass container, unless it is being delivered in person which can be delivered the day before in a non-cooling glass container.
Judging
The judging process will be democratic, with the highest number of votes declaring a winner. In a final, a system will be implemented to avoid a draw. E.g. Odd number of judges.
Evaluation Criteria
- Colour: water that is completely translucent without any white or brown tones
- Clarity: clear water with minimal turbidity
- Odour: samples that are pleasing to smell with a nice scent
- Taste: samples that are pleasing to the palate
The judging process is like wine tasting without needing to spit out the samples, coffee beans can also be sniffed between tastings to cleanse the palate.
Competition
WIOA’s ambition is to run this competition in each State and Territory within Australia.
Once the State/Territory winners have been determined, a national competition will be held in the previous national winner’s area. All annual winning samples will be put forward and judged to determine the national winner, which will be crowned Australia’s best tasting tap water.
Each winner will be provided with a sign.
The national competition winner will then provide a sample for the international competition in America, and a sample for the WIOA New Zealand study tour, to go up against their national winner.
Samples must be received at room temperature to be accepted into the competition.
Media / Communications
IXOM is the proud sponsor of this competition. We aim to prominently feature their branding throughout the event, including photos and videos related to the competition, banners, and their logo at key locations. Additionally, we will quote IXOM in all verbal and printed communications whenever possible.
External communications will also include the following themes:
- We have an expectation that we can turn on a tap for a drink of water, to cook or take a shower and give no thought to what it takes to operate and maintain the municipal water infrastructure
- Australians are fortunate to have safe, clean, and drinkable tap water compared to other countries
- The general public may not be aware of the infrastructure and effort that goes into delivering water supplies
Ultimately, we want to celebrate our unsung heroes – the water operators, their crews, and the water company, who delivers this service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round to ensure we have a continuous safe supply of drinking water.
Procedure Owners: WIOA, IXOM and Xcubed Communications. Last updated January 2025.
Former Winners
| Year | NSW/ACT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2024 |
Wingecarribee Shire Council |
Isaac Regional Council |
Olympic Dam Desal Plant BHP |
Ferntree WTP, TasWater |
Yarra Valley Water |
Dalyellup, Water Corp |
|
2023 |
Rous County Council Nightcap WTP |
Fraser Coast Regional Council Burgowan WTP |
BHP Olympic Dam Desal Plant |
TasWater Ferntree WTP |
WaterSure VIC Desal Plant |
Water Corporation Cue Treatment Plant |
|
2022 |
Shoalhaven Water Bamarang WTP |
Mackay Regional Council Nebo Road WTP |
TRILITY Murray Bridge WTP |
TasWater Ferntree WTP |
Melbourne Water Creswell WTP |
Water Corporation Wyndham WTP |
|
2021 |
Richmond Valley Council Casino WTP |
Mackay Regional Council Marian WTP |
SA Water Suez Anstey Hill WTP |
TasWater Stornoway Rocky Creek WTP |
SA Water Suez Anstey Hill WTP |
Westernport Water IBWPP Bass |
|
2020 |
Port Macquaire Hastings Council Wauchope WTP |
Livingstone Shire Council Capricorn Cost Scheme |
SA Water Woolpunda WTP |
TasWater TRILITY Rossarden WTP |
Lower Murray Water Mildura WTP |
Water Corporation Yalgoo WTP |
Upcoming events
Best Tasting Tap Water Competitions will be held at the upcoming events:
