Best water win tastes good

COLIBAN Water produces the best tasting tap water in the state, according to an independent panel of judges at the recent Water Industry Operations Association Conference, held at the Bendigo Showgrounds.

The title is coveted within the water industry as it recognises the skill, passion and dedication of water professionals who deliver safe, high-quality drinking water to communities year-round.

Judging followed a process akin to wine tasting, including palette cleansing between samples.

The winning water was taken from the Bendigo Water Treatment Plant and was assessed based on its colour, clarity, odour and taste.

Coliban Water finished ahead of fellow finalists, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water and Barwon Water.

Bendigo’s drinking water is currently sourced from repositories including Lake Eppalock, before undergoing a comprehensive treatment process to ensure it meets strict quality and safety standards prior to delivery to customers.

Coliban’s general manager operations Julian Bull said the victory was “fantastic” for the organisation.

“Our last win was in 2012, which is a long time between drinks,” he said.

“It was great to get the honours and take it home again.”

For the uninformed, who may believe water is water, and its quality is uniform across the state, Bull explained there’s a number of factors that cause differences.

“In terms of Coliban Water, we’ve got 19 treatment plants that pull from a different source,” he said.

“Whether it’s coming from a basin, whether it’s coming from a river, a creek, whether it’s coming from groundwater, all will have different elements in them that need a different kind of treatment.

“The treatment plants all have a number of different processes – some might have 10 or 11 processes, then we’ve got some really simple plants that have just five or six processes to treat it.

“All of these things mean that the colour, the clarity and the odour of the water is slightly different.”

He agreed that Bendigonians should be proud of their drinking water.

“The fact that Bendigo’s not built on a water source and we’re able to get water here and treat it to a standard that’s been classified as the best tasting drinking water in Victoria, I think that’s a proud moment,” he said.

“For us, we’re really proud about it because we know the commitment that our people and our partners put into water quality, operational excellence, day in, day out, delivering these services for the community.”