The best tasting municipal water in Northeast Georgia is coming out of the taps in Clarkesville.
Monday, Kelly Comstock from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) presented the Drinking Water Taste Test District Champion Award to Clarkesville Water Department staffers Nancy Gosnell, Mike Turgeon, Everett Coker, John Morrison, and Public Works Director Jeremy Garmon.
“Every year at our spring conference we have a drinking water taste test,” Comstock explains, “A panel of professionals from throughout the state of Georgia rank the different drinking water samples that communities submit in the competition.”
Clarkesville bested all the other entries from GAWP’s District 2 which covers the cities of Gainesville and Athens and 20 counties in northeast Georgia including White, Rabun, Stephens and Banks. That’s no easy feat according to Comstock, “Your drinking water treatment employees have become masters of their craft.”
Clarkesville not only won the district, the city placed second in the entire state. Judges chose Henry County as Best of the Best in the statewide taste test.
In addition to the award for taste, Clarkesville workers picked up the GAWP Gold Award for compliance. “That means that every drop of water that has left your facility, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, has met state drinking water requirements,” says Comstock. “You should be very proud of your staff for being able to maintain that.”
