Metropolitan won the highest honor for the best tasting tap water in the United States

The Southern California Metropolitan Water District has the best drinking tap water in the United States. This weekend a panel of judges concluded that as 31^Yingshi yearly Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Conference The competition features water from 14 countries and 19 states.

Metropolitan received the highest honor in the municipal water supply category, and its member institution, the City of Santa Ana, ranked second.

“Although water quality and safety are always our top priorities, it is also important for us that consumers like the taste of our water. A good taste is an important confirmation by consumers of the quality of water from their faucets,” Metropolitan General Manager Jeff Rickett Linger said. “I would like to congratulate all our employees-laboratory and operations staff, planners and engineers-for their contribution to providing the highest quality water in our Southern California region. I would also like to commend the city of Santa Ana for winning the silver medal.”

To help ensure that Metropolitan provides delicious water, the agency has a team of employees trained in quality control methods for the food and beverage industry. Metropolitan’s flavor profile analysis team meets several times a week at the MWD Water Quality Laboratory in La Verne to evaluate samples from the regional processing and distribution systems throughout the region to maintain quality.

“We pioneered this flavor profile analysis in the 1980s, and it has since become the standard method in the water industry,” said Water Quality Manager Dr. Mic Stewart. “Our team of tasters have undergone months of training to become certified sensory analysts to ensure that our customers get the best-tasting drinking water.”

Metropolitan’s 2021 gold medal water originates from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in northern California and is imported through the State Water Project. The Jensen water treatment plant in Granada Hills uses the most advanced ozone gas for treatment and receives a small amount of chlorine disinfection when it leaves the factory to ensure that the entire The continuous quality and safety of the distribution system.

Metropolitan has entered the international water product competition for more than 20 years, and won the first place in 2008 and 1998; the second place in 2000 and 2003; and the third place in 2005.

Metropolitan uses advanced treatment technologies in the rigorous water treatment process of its five factories, including ozone as the main disinfectant, which can destroy a variety of microorganisms and effectively remove unpleasant tastes and odors. The region also tests nearly 400 different compositions of water, and conducts approximately 250,000 water quality tests each year to ensure that it meets or exceeds stringent federal and state drinking water regulations that protect public health.

The water from the Jensen plant is sent to Metropolitan member institutions in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange Counties, and is often mixed with local water sources before reaching homes and businesses.

The Southern California Metropolitan Water District is a cooperative established by the state government, together with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, to provide water to 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies and helps its members develop plans to strengthen water conservation, recycling, storage, and other resource management.

View the source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210607005796/en/