ST. GEORGE — It took less than 15 minutes for three judges to determine the winner of Utah's "best-tasting drinking water" contest for 2006.
"It was very close, but in the end the winner selected followed the format of the numbers on the containers," Dale Pierson, executive director of the Rural Water Association of Utah told members attending the group's annual convention in St. George. "The top three samples that came out of the preliminaries came out the same today."
A panel of three judges sipped, sniffed and stared at the clear liquid poured into three glass jars placed before them, noting the clarity, taste and smell of each sample.
"Take your time," the judges were admonished by a contest supervisor. "Use the decimal system. If you don't, we'll be here all day."
The contest is designed for water and waste water systems serving less than 25,000 people, said Shannon Rasmussen, a public relations specialist with the association. Of the 500 members in the group, 29 submitted samples for the yearly taste test.
A panel of nine judges whittled the lineup down to the top three candidates on Wednesday, with a separate group judging the finalists.
Jokes about wastewater smells, the size of a judge's nose, and even quips about testing for abdominal parasites were offered by some audience members, prompting widespread laughter from the group of mostly male members dressed casually in blue jeans and ball caps.
Right before announcing the winners, though, the roomful of rural water system specialists was reminded of the importance of their work.
"We would hope everybody out there would take the same pride in providing quality water to people using their system," Pierson said.
In third place this year is the water system of Kanosh, a small town of 500 residents in Millard County. In second place is the White City water system, serving a population of 4,200 residents in Salt Lake County.
In first place is the town of Beaver, which provides water for more than 2,500 people. Each of the three final contestants received a plaque for their efforts.
As the winner of the "best-tasting drinking water" in the state, Beaver not only wins bragging rights, but will also get a chance to beat out top water samples from other states to claim the national title.
"This winner of this test accompanies us back to Washington, D.C., the first week in April to compete at the National Water Rally with other winners around the nation," said Pierson. "We also take samples of water into each congressional office for tasting. It's a bit of an ice breaker and a lot of fun."
Beaver water superintendent Chad Limb said his town's water won for a simple reason.
"It comes from up in the mountains," he said. "We do have good water."
Former Beaver water master Jay Gillies, who retired from his position after 13 years and is now 80, said the town's new title was "quite a recommendation."
"It's mostly spring water coming out of the canyon up here. We also pump water out of an aquifer," Gilles said during a telephone interview from his home in Beaver on Thursday. "It was a fun job, I really enjoyed it."
Judge Bonnie Carrig, community programs director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office, said Beaver's water was "fresh, clear and sparkling."
Another judge, Jeff Wiest, said he thoroughly enjoyed his stint behind the water table.
"We're all friends here and it was a tough choice," said Wiest, who works for Waterford Systems. "If Beaver bottled its water, I'd sure drink it."
The Rural Water Association of Utah provides training and technical assistance to water and wastewater systems throughout the state.
E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com