We Got Wild at the Australian Tap Water Championships

Wednesday marked the fifth annual Ixom Best Tap Water in Australia Competition. And yes, that's a real thing. Every year five nominated cities from across the world's second driest continent converge on Marysville, about two hours east of Melbourne, bringing some tap water with them.

In Marysville, members of the public vote for the unlabelled sample they like best, to determine the important question of which state in Australia has the best tap water.

Sounds simple enough. But how do you judge something that has no taste, colour, or smell? We headed down to the tap water showdown to find out more.

VICE: Hi Dan, why are we here today?
Daniel Flanagan: Because every state has their own water tasting competition. Then the state winners come to compete at the previous year's national winner, which was from Marysville in Victoria. Also, from our view, it's really important to promote tap water. The point of this is to show that tap water can taste just as good, if not better, than bottled water.

As a tap water buff, what makes the perfect drop?
It has to have very limited taste. You'll notice poor quality tap water has a taste. It may be a bit salty, it could taste a bit earthy or musty, or it might have a smell about it. The idea is to remove the taste and have water that's really pure.

You said you're not a fan of bottled water. What's that all about?
Tap water is simply more environmentally friendly. If you look at it, tap water is just as good. If you put it in the fridge, it cools down and it tastes exactly the same as bottled water.

But you're not afraid of the fluoride added to tap water?
No, absolutely not. Fluoride is only added in small amounts and doesn't have a taste.

But isn't it there for mind control?
No. It's just very good for your teeth.

Hey guys, why are you here today?
Robynne: We're very conscious of the sort of water we drink, so we thought we'd pop in and have a look.

What's the water like in Noosa?
I like it. It's clean, clear, and doesn't have a taste.

And what's the worst tap water you've ever had?
Robynne: Brisbane. It's terrible, it tastes very stale. It tastes like it's been sitting there for days.

How do you think the water today stacks up?
I don't know. A couple of these waters have an odd taste. One of the samples we tried was terrible because it had that woody taste.

And what makes you guys qualified to judge the water today?
Morris: Well, I drink three to four litres of water every day. She doesn't though.
Robynne: No, I don't like it because it's got no taste.

But you just said no taste makes good water?
Robynne: Yes, but it's still got to be tasteless.

So how do you like to flavour your tasteless water?
We do put a lot of lemon and lime in our water at home. We used to have a big decanter in the fridge and we would squash up lime or lemon in the fresh water.

Hey guys, What brings you here?
June: We read that the South Australian entrant had a good chance to win. Also, we just happened to be in Marysville so we thought, We're in the area, we might as well see what it's all about.

We're definitely in Marysville. So, I've got to ask, how do you feel about Adelaide's tap water?
David: Well, having been brought up with Adelaide water, we think it's quite drinkable. Therefore, everything else is theoretically an improvement on that.
June: We're hardened. It's got to be pretty bad before we refuse to drink it.

What does "pretty bad" mean?
Chlorine is the big killer. If all you can taste is the chlorine it's just the worst.

Which is really the defining aspect of Adelaide's water. But tell me, what's the best thing about it?
June: In Adelaide we've got water fluoridation, which is a wonderful thing for children's teeth. It's cut dental decay by a dramatic amount.
David: It's proven that if you have fluoride in your water your kids will have very strong teeth. Our kids have never had any fillings and they were brought up on Adelaide's fluoride water.

Beautiful.

Tasmania took out this year's honours, being awarded 2016's best tap water for a sample provided by the Barrington Water Treatment Plant. TasWater will now represent Australia at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition in the US early next year.

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