An edition of: WaterAtlas.orgPresented By: USF Water Institute

Water-Related News

Charlotte County Utilities wins regional best-tasting drinking water contest

Charlotte County Utilities Department won the annual Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest in Region X held by the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association. The contest was held during a FSAWWA luncheon at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Sarasota Service Center earlier this month. Charlotte County’s water sample won the best tasting out of the nine utilities that entered the contest.

Region X represents drinking water utilities in a five-county region: Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee and Sarasota. Charlotte County will compete for the statewide tasting competition later in April, and potentially the national competition in June if it receives Florida’s top honor.

All Region X water utilities were invited to submit a gallon sample of their drinking water to be tested by a panel of five impartial judges. Each utility’s sample was collected from their distribution system no more than 24 hours prior to the test. The annual competition is held throughout the country and is intended to educate consumers about water-related issues and raise awareness about water conservation.

Charlotte County purchases 95 percent of its water supply from the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, which uses the Peace River as its source of supply. The Charlotte County public drinking water system distributes this potable water to more than 55,000 customers and maintains a large system of approximately 1,400 miles of water main lines, four booster stations and 4,500 fire hydrants.