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Kelowna  

The best water around

Kelowna failed to defend its title for best tap water in B.C., being beat out by Chilliwack on Thursday.

A panel of "aqualiers" judged tap water from 15 different communities based on taste, aroma, mouth feel and overall impression.

Tanja McQueen, CEO of the B.C. Water and Waste Association, says the competition aims to celebrate the resource and raise awareness about the value of our water system.

“How many of us turn on our taps and we give no thought? It just magically appears, and we flush our toilet and it magically goes away. We don’t give any thought to the complex infrastructure and the people who make that happen for us every day of the year.”

This is the second time the organization has held the tap water taste test, after taking a page from the American Water Works Association, which stages a continent-wide challenge every year.

Judge Robert Haller says he looks for water that stands out as the most refreshing and thirst quenching.

“I don’t want any odour to it, really. I don’t want any after taste, so you can't taste the treatment process anymore,” he explains. “There is a feel to water, and sometimes depending on (what the) final source of the water is, it will have a different feel, a smoothness, a sharpness, a different look."

The taste test was held in Kelowna, and one local judge is better known for his time in the kitchen.

Sommelier and chef Mark Filatow of Waterfront Wines says he doesn’t have a lot of experience in judging water, but he's lived in several cities across Canada and has a favourite water he grew up with.  

“It is easy when you are comparing it because it is what you like and what you don’t like, so you can push others away pretty quickly, which is just like wine."

The decision was basically unanimous, said McQueen, as she introduced Chilliwack as the victor.

A city representative says the secret is water quality that is pure and requires no primary treatment, only a very small amount of chlorine.

The other competitors were: Prince George, Furry Creek, Radium, Kamloops, Harrison Hot Springs, Penticton, Lillooet Lake, Bralorne, Gold Bridge, Squamish, Clearbrook, Rutland, Nelson, Greater Vernon and Kelowna.



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