A series of blind taste tests have confirmed what many St. Louisans have believed for years—City of St. Louis drinking water is the best tasting in the country.

The US Conference of Mayors City Water Taste Test Competition started with an initial field of 93 which was reduced to 15 contenders in 1st round taste testing held in Washington, D.C. June 6, 2007. A second round of judging was conducted by a selected panel of judges including: the proprietor of the Palm Restaraunt in Washington, D.C., the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and an environmental reporter for the Washington Post Newspaper. Using the criteria of taste, aroma, and clarity, the judges conducted a blind taste test and chose the five finalists: Anaheim, CA; Colorado Springs, CO: Long Beach, CA: St. Louis, MO: and Toledo, OH. Two weeks later, at the 75th annual meeting in Los Angeles, CA hundreds of mayors attending the conference from across our nation participated in the blind taste test using the same criteria to pick the winner. The results were decisive, the City of St. Louis has the best tasting City Water in America.

Water Commissioner David A. Visintainer echoed Mayor Slay’s sentiments. While noting that St. Louis City Water is purified by a complex and multistage treatment process, Commissioner Visintainer gave

credit to the “dedicated people that work around the clock to provide our valued customers and neighbors with the best possible drinking water we can produce”.

The photograph above pictures City of St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay accepting the “Best Tasting City Water in America” award and a check for $15,000 at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Award Ceremony.