The results are in, and it turns out that water from the Clifton Park Water Authority is the tastiest in Saratoga County this year, at least according to attendees of the Saratoga County Fair on Friday, July 17.
About 60 people stopped by to participate in the blind taste test, which was sponsored by The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County. Clifton Park won out over Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, Wilton and Mechanicville, and will go on to compete against Latham and the City of Schenectady in the regional finals at Alive at Five in Albany on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Manoj Ajmera, a retired Department of Health employee who started the statewide taste competition 23 years ago, was on hand at the Saratoga County Fair to administer the test. He said that people shouldn’t read too deeply into the results of the contest.
It’s subjective, he said. `Everybody likes a different tasteIt’s the best tasting water on that day.`
He noted that all the water provided by municipalities must meet strict quality guidelines.
Ajmera, a resident of Saratoga County, said he created the contest chiefly to raise awareness about water quality.
Not participating in the taste test were the towns of Halfmoon and Waterford, which are purchasing water from the City of Troy during the ongoing dredging of the Hudson River for PCBs.
The winner of August’s regional competition will go on to the state finals on Sept. 1, to be administered at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. About 150 public water suppliers will participate this year.“