Muskoka boasts winning tap water in international competition

Water, water, everywhere and apparently, in the District of Muskoka, it's good enough to drink.

The District of Muskoka's Public Works Department has won a silver medal in the Municipal Water Category at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition.

This is the first time the district has submitted an entry.

"To be recognized in an international competition for having one of the best-tasting waters makes me especially pleased. I know our water operators feel the same," said James Steele, commissioner of engineering and public works with the district.

"Public works people are just brilliantly invisible. They are the unsung heroes," Steele said.

The water tested came from the Fairyview Water Treatment facility in Huntsville, he said.

Muskoka's municipal water sample was judged against global submissions from as far away as Korea, Australia and Hawaii.

Gold went to Clearbrook, B.C. First-time entry Muskoka District won the silver medal. St. Paris won the bronze medal, OH., and there was a tie for fourth place between former gold medalist Emporia, KS and first-time entry K-Water (Miryang-si), Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of South Korea. In fifth place, just one single point behind was former gold medalist Eldorado Springs, CO.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

The district says a bottle of water averages $2 on the store shelf, but for that same amount, Muskoka residents can refill the bottle 400 times with award-winning municipal water right from their tap.

The district operates nine water treatment facilities, serving nearly 13,000 customers in communities across the district's six area municipalities.

Having been honoured with a silver medal encourages Muskoka to remind the community of the importance that water plays in Muskoka residents' lives.

The Muskoka District plans to enter the American Water Works Association (AWWA) "Best of the Best" Tap Water Taste Test this summer when its annual water conference visits Toronto.