Who has the best tasting tap water in the state?

Rossarden is among the 13 locations from around the state which have put forward water samples to be tested in the 2024 IXOM Best Tasting Tap Water competition. 

In 2024 Rossarden’s water was declared the top drop by the Water Industry Operations Association of Australia (WIOA) which conducts the testing.

So far water has been submitted from water treatment plants at: Cornwall, Greater Hobart - Fern Tree, Launceston Distillery Creek, Rocky Creek, Rossarden, Scamander, St Helens, Swansea, Tullah, Burnie, Bryn Estyn Hobart, Forth – Devonport, Barrington - Shefield/Railton.

Some last-minute entries are also expected.

The winner of the Tasmanian title will be announced in Devonport on Tuesday, September 24 with the winner having bragging rights over the other water suppliers in Tasmania for the next 12 months and the chance to contest the Australian title. 

TasWater’s Fern Tree water treatment plant took out the coveted Australian title in 2023, so the 2024 national competition will be hosted in Tasmania in November.

The competition is a fun and exciting way to raise awareness of the quality of drinking water in Australia, and to recognise the efforts of local water service providers in delivering valuable water services to their communities.

Water samples are subjected to a blind taste test and rated according to the Water Tasting Wheel, which outlines some of the attributes that water professionals use when judging water such as colour, clarity, odour and taste. Think ‘wine tasting’ without needing to spit out the samples and you won’t be far wrong.   

The winner of the IXOM 2024 Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia competition will have the opportunity to represent Australia at the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition in West Virginia, USA.

Previous winners of the IXOM Best Tasting Tap Water in Tasmania are: 

• 2023 Fern Tree - Greater Hobart
• 2022 Fern Tree - Greater Hobart
• 2021 Rocky Creek - Greater Hobart
• 2020 Rossarden 
• 2019 Mount Leslie - Launceston 
• 2018 Bryn Estyn WTP - Greater Hobart 
• 2017 Fenton - Greater Hobart