Courtesy of the City of Ames

Ames Best-Tasting Water Award 2024.

Ames water has been voted “Best-Tasting Water in Iowa” for the fifth time — the first time since 2018 — by the Iowa Section of the American Water Works Association conference will compete at the national competition in Denver next June. 

One city is determined to have the best-tasting water in the state at association’s annual conference. The Ames Water and Pollution Control Department team walked away with not one but two awards this year, including the “Best-Tasting Water in Iowa” and the “People’s Choice.” 

How exactly is the best-tasting water determined? John Dunn, director of Ames Water and Pollution Control, got to witness the competition take place firsthand. 

“It really looks like a wine tasting competition,” Dunn said. 

With all the categories and samples in front of them, each judge samples each cup of water and cleanses the palette with saltine crackers in between to ensure accurate tasting. There were two competitions, one with judges and the other with everyone attending the conference; Iowa took home the win for both competitions.

“For whatever reason, the tap water is a part of the fabric of the community; it’s something that the community identifies with, so whatever we do, we can’t mess up the taste of the water,” said Dunn.

It’s not as easy as it looks. Dunn knows firsthand how it truly takes a village to create the best-tasting water. 

“There are operators here around the clock, 24/7, 365 days a year, doing roughly 200 tests per day on the water to make sure what’s leaving meets all the required standards,” Dunn said.

With a high-quality source of water, Ames doesn’t have to worry about things like nitrates, but it sure does take a lot of work to maintain. In the words of Dunn, the Ames treatment plant truly is “well-designed, well-managed and a well-operated process.”

Ames may have the best-tasting water, but what does this actually mean for the community? The Ames treatment plant is funded solely through utility rates and no government tax money. At the end of the day, the Ames Water and Pollution Control Department has proven that with careful stewardship of the money, they can still deliver a high-quality product without having high prices.

Next time you fill a glass of water, take a moment to savor it and think about all the hard work that went into it.