The city’s drinking water has been crowned “Best Tasting Ground Water” in the state for the third year, as judged by the American Water Works Association in September, Mayor Jake Day announced. 

This is the third time the city has received the honor, previously taking home the prize from the AWWA in 2017 and 2019.

“Not only is this a win for the hardworking folks in our Water Works Department, but it’s a win for our City and our residents,” said Day. “Having been the recipients of this award two times in the past is proof that our city is committed to bringing our citizens water that is not only great, but the best”

After being awarded the statewide title at the Tri-Con Conference in Ocean City earlier this year, the city of Salisbury’s Water Works Department crew will move to compete for the title of “Best Tasting Ground Water in America” at the next AWWA conference to be held in Toronto in June 2023. 

“Our water plant team takes immense pride in the excellent tasting water that is produced from our plant,” said Cori Cameron, the city’s director of water works. “We are grateful to have our water recognized by an organization like the AWWA and are eager to advance to the national competition next year.”

Each participating city brought a gallon of water to the Ocean City conference, which was then blind taste tested by all the participants, who scored the samples on a scale of 1-10. Water entries were judged based on taste, appearance, and smell. 

Last year, the city produced 2 billion gallons of clean drinking water, drawing its water from 10 groundwater wells connected to the Coastal Plain aquifer.