In Colorado, you鈥檙e never too far from Rocky Mountain snowmelt, so it鈥檚 no surprise that an annual competition for the state鈥檚 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 鈥渟ource to tap.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e got people working 24/7, 365 to keep it tip-top,鈥� 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鈥檚 water was 鈥渢he most versatile.鈥�
鈥淲hat that means is I can mix Kool-Aid with it and it鈥檒l be great,鈥� he said, 鈥淥r just drink it out of the hose and it鈥檒l be great.鈥�
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 鈥渂est鈥� 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 what brings back great memories,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or me it鈥檚 camping or hiking, so that鈥檚 why I prefer mountain water. It鈥檚 really a personal feeling.鈥�
Denver鈥檚 winning water will advance to a national taste test competition at the American Water Works Association鈥檚 annual conference 鈥� coincidentally in Denver, this time 鈥� 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.
