On Thursday, July 2, municipalities from around Schenectady County including Scotia, Glenville, Rotterdam and Niskayuna will compete for the title of best-tasting water at the Schenectady County Green Market. The winner will go on to the regional competition and if successful, the state finals held at the New York State Fair in Syracuse.
[Each municipality] sets up a table and the public walks by. They can pour out a little Dixie cup of water, and they can sample water from A, B, C, D, and so forth, said Tim Nagel, chief water plant treatment operator for the Town of Niskayuna, which generally comes in third or fourth place each year.
The competition is not exactly a scientific sampling.
`We participate every year. I personally don’t get all that excited over it. If you think about it, the person’s taste is very subjective,` said Nagel.
According to Nagel, there are no regulations for the competition. The water doesn’t have to be served at a particular temperature, and it doesn’t have to be held in a certain kind of container ` both of which can affect the taste of water.
`If someone brought water out of their pool, and it had a very high chlorine content, and then you drank the next town’s water, you would still be tasting from the last cup you sampled,` said Nagel.
Nagel said the competition does serve a purpose.
`[It raises] public awareness on water, and that’s really good. People don’t realize how vital water is and how much it’s taken for granted,` said Nagel.
`Schenectady County is fortunate to have an abundant supply of great tasting water,` said Susan Savage, chairwoman of the Schenectady County Legislature, in a written statement. `This taste test is a chance for each of our towns, villages and the City of Schenectady to compete for the right to say that they have the best tasting water in Schenectady County.`
Rodger Harrison, a water treatment plant operator for the Town of Glenville, said he thinks it’s Glenville’s turn to win.
`I would hope that we would win this year. I think it’s our turn,` said Harrison. `The residents of the Town of Glenville have a discriminating taste, and they seem to like our water just fine.`
Clark Collins, senior water treatment plant operator for the Town of Rotterdam, said he would like the town to hold onto the title of first place. Rotterdam’s water has made it to the state finals three times, and they took home the title of best tasting water for New York state in 2003.
`We’re fortunate here that we have clean water,` said Collins.
He noted that they probably haven’t won the state competition in Syracuse since 2003 because the water in Syracuse is different from the water in Rotterdam, and that it isn’t a matter of one type of water tasting better than the other, but rather it is an issue of what people are used to.
`A lot of the people who go to that fair are from the Syracuse area and they have surface water, which they’re used to, and it tastes different,` said Collins. `It’s about how people perceive it. It’s not a scientific test. We’re always proud of our water.`
The competition will be held at the farmers market in downtown Schenectady from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 2. The downtown market is located on the corner of Jay Street and Liberty Street near City Hall.
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