Turning Wine into Water: Highlights from a “Water Tasting”

Submitted by Kelly Blake, PE, Project Manager (Sarasota, FL)

Kelly Blake

In honor of World Water Day yesterday, Stantec’s Kelly Blake walks us through the unique experience of a “water tasting” event.

The usual suspects from Stantec's Sarasota Station Way office slowly started to gather in the main lobby entrance, headed out to watch the Annual Water Taste Test sponsored by Florida Section Region X of the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Winners from this Southwest Florida regional event will duke it out for the best-tasting water in the country in the AWWA’s national competition.

As if a theme song sang to our step, we arrived to the event in unison. The insight that we have as engineers on our local municipal water climate gives us an advantage in understanding most things water related. We know who buys from whom, we know what processes are employed, and at what cost. We understand the franchise utility movement of the 1970s that has been replaced with county and city municipalities. We understand that the amazing Florida climate promotes growth, not only in the numbers of retired Northerners coming to find an easier life, but also in the growth of oxygen-reducing bacteria.

The judging panel

We follow the price per gallon like some follow the recent gas sales. We understand how many kilowatts it takes to produce one gallon of water; conversely, we also know how many gallons it takes to turn on a 100-watt light bulb. Our expertise is combating water-borne illnesses and providing sanitation practices that support the healthy civilization we call our community. All of these things we carry like a badge, like a 30-year-old pair of Ray-Bans, and, most importantly, like our professional license.

With over 100 years of experience collectively, we show up at the annual taste test geared up for the battle, but on this day we sit on the bench. We watch expectedly as a body of judges comprising chefs, civilians, and regulatory professionals slurp, sniff, swill, and swallow samples of our region’s finest. On this day, water samples are handled like wine and are judged for clarity, odor, and taste on a scale from 1 to 10.

Samples from over seven of our region’s municipalities were chauffeured and escorted by proud water treatment plant operators to the Main Street fountain in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The judges were given numbered samples of water from each local plant and the blind taste test began. Each judge tasted, smelled, and held samples up to the light. Between each sip, judges were encouraged to cleanse the palate with saltine crackers. 



The winner!

While at wine tastings, samples are noted for the boldness and dimensions that the wine brings to the palate, water taste tests are just the opposite. Taste and odor are the two most common types of complaints from water customers, and various factors can introduce those issues to drinking water. Since we all drink water, every customer is a qualified water critic, so these operators have a hefty job of providing water that not only meets all health requirements, but that is tasty as well.

At the end of the day, the winner—Sarasota County Utilities—was announced, the remaining samples were given to a thirsty plant, and the Stantec crew headed back to our office to gather and discuss the day’s events over a nice glass of the region’s finest tap water.