In Colorado, you’re never too far from Rocky Mountain snowmelt, so it’s no surprise that an annual competition for the state’s best-tasting water ended in a three-way tie. However, after a sudden-death sip-off, Denver took home the gold.
The taste test, held at the American Water Works Association Rocky Mountain Section conference in Keystone, pitted eight submissions from around the state against one another. Bronze and silver also went to Front Range cities. Louisville took second and Broomfield took third.
The first place city chalked its success up to hard work from employees who work on water from “source to tap.”
“We’ve got people working 24/7, 365 to keep it tip-top,” said Nick Yarish, a water treatment plant supervisor with Denver Water.
The panel of six judges, each blindly testing and rating samples from each city, included an environmental engineer, a farmer, a utility manager and this reporter. Victor Sam was perhaps the most expert among them. Sam, an environmental engineer whose work has focused on water taste and odor, said Denver’s water was “the most versatile.”
“What that means is I can mix Kool-Aid with it and it’ll be great,” he said, “Or just drink it out of the hose and it’ll be great.”
While water might seem tasteless, the stuff that flows out of your home tap is often carefully balanced to include a certain mix of minerals in an attempt to leave water drinkers feeling quenched.
When it comes to judging a competition, Sam said the “best” water is truly a matter of personal preference. Different people, he said, will often prefer one water over another based on where they live or grew up.
“It’s what brings back great memories,” he said. “For me it’s camping or hiking, so that’s why I prefer mountain water. It’s really a personal feeling.”
Denver’s winning water will advance to a national taste test competition at the American Water Works Association’s annual conference – coincidentally in Denver, this time — in June 2025.
This story is part of ongoing coverage of water in the West, produced by KUNC, and supported by the Walton Family Foundation.
