May 7, 2007

Nothing quenches the palate like a cool, crisp, clean glass of water. The American public enjoys the highest quality drinking water in the world, thanks in large part to local government. Local governments invest over $43 billion dollars in water infrastructure and quality. As a result you can travel anywhere in the country with the certainty that the water supply is safe to drink.

From time to time The U.S. Conference of Mayors highlights this remarkable achievement by asking its Member Cities to participate in a contest to identify the “Best Tasting Water” in the nation.

The competition is open to all Conference Members. The competition will begin on June 6 at our DC Offices where we will identify semifinalists. The semifinalist cities will compete at the 75th Annual Meeting of The U.S. Conference of Mayors in Los Angeles the week of June 22-26, where attending mayors will sample the water and cast their ballots. The 1998 City Water Taste Test competition involved over 100 cities. The winning City in 1998 was Anchorage, Alaska which won bragging rights for a decade. The winner of the 2007 competition will not only receive national recognition, but will also receive a cash award of $15,000, compliments of The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the sole corporate sponsor – Veolia Water North America.

The Mayors Water Council urges you to compete for this prestigious award and bring attention to the good work that local government does for its citizens on a daily basis, year after year.

A chilled one-gallon water sample will need to arrive at The U.S. Conference of Mayors offices between Wednesday, May 30 and Friday, June 1, or no later than Monday, June 4. For specific participation details, just go to our website – usmayors.org/watercouncil.