KANE COUNTY WATER ASSOCIATION
KCWA Golf Outing at Bliss Creek - 8/28/09
(Photos provided by Kelly Fitzgibbon)
A perfect swing on a perfect day for golf.
Congratulations to the 1st Place Team
Group Photo at the KCWA's 1st Annual Golf Outing
"The Basics of ILWARN" - 8/20/09
Laurie Dougherty, Executive Director of the Illinois Section AWWA, gave a presentation entitled "The Basics of ILWARN: Mutual Aid for Water and Wastewater Utilities".
Congratulations to the KCWA 2008 Annual Taste Test Winner
The City of Aurora
Aurora's tops of the taps
By Mike Danahey Staff Writer
(Staff Writer Courier News December 19, 2008)
BATAVIA -- Proving it deserved the state championship it successfully defended last March in Springfield, the city of Aurora's tap water flowed home with "Best in Kane County" honors Thursday afternoon at Batavia's Lincoln Inn.
With a sample drawn from the Phillips Park water tower, the water gushed over a field of 10 at the Kane County Water Association's December meeting. The key to the success: A little luck and that "we're a blend of well and surface water," said Bob Leible, Aurora's assistant superintendent of water production.
Surface water typically has more particulates to be removed, while well water maybe be purer but often has a harsher taste, explained Dave Schumacher, manager of water systems engineering for Aurora.
Aurora's water is about 60 percent from the Fox River and 40 percent from underground, while, by contrast, 95 percent of the water used in Elgin comes from the Fox, explained Mark Donnelly, the vice president of the Kane County Water Association and Elgin's chief water chemist.
While not aged in oak barrels, Aurora's water is softened, carbon-filtered and chlorinated with a hint of ammonia before it runs through the city's pipes and out hoses, faucets and shower heads.
Despite the hopes of one judge, there was no competition for which water would be best for your morning shower or the best to open the flavor in a fine scotch. Instead, the water was rated for taste, odor and clarity by a panel that included this reporter, Illinois Water Works Association education coordinator Lisa Jordan and US 99.5 radio personality Ray Stevens.
"When I told them at work that I was judging a water contest, everybody thought I was" kidding them, Stevens told his hosts.
The truth is, picking a winner was tougher than Jordan and Stevens thought it might be. All but one sample had what most people are looking for in tap water, which is to say no flavor or odor at all and close-to-crystal clarity.
Aurora has a bit of a water dynasty going for it. It won the Kane County competition in 2006 and a couple of times prior to that, Leible said. And Aurora water will be going for a three-peat as state champs down in Springfield in March.
"We're like the Lakers were, or the old Bulls," Leible said.
2008 ISAWWA Water Taste Contest
by Nora Bertram
(Illinois Section AWWA May 2008 Splash)
During the Illinois Section American Water Works Annual Conference in Springfield on March 11, 2008, five utilities competed in the 14th Annual Water Taste Contest to vie for the title of the best water produced in the State of Illinois.
Among the competitors were the City of Aurora Water Production Division , last year’s ISAWWA winner; Clearwater Service Corporation, winner of the 15 County Water Supply Operators Association water taste contest; Galena Territories, winner of the Illinois Utilities Inc. water taste contest; the Village of Elburn, winner of the Kane County Water Association water taste contest; and the City of Evanston, winner of the West Shore Water Producers Association water taste contest.
A drinking water sample, produced by each of the five utilities, was submitted and evaluated by a panel of local celebrity judges on water clarity, odor and taste. Once the scores were tallied, the City of Aurora was awarded best water produced in the State of Illinois for the second year in a row. The City of Aurora will be eligible to defend it’s title next year at the ISAWWA 15th annual Water Taste Contest, and will have an opportunity to compete in this year’s 4th annual AWWA water taste contest in Atlanta, Georgia, for the title of best water produced in North America.
Sincere thanks are extended to the contestants and our judges: Ms. Megan Pressnall, Director of External Relations for the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association; Ms. Jodie Tate, an Extension Educator with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the Natural Resources Management program; and Mr. George Czapar, an Extension Educator with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the Crop Sciences department.
Only utilities that produce water and are winners of local water association contests are eligible to compete in the ISAWWA’s Water Taste Contest. Therefore, if you are a water association looking to host a competition and have your winner participate in next year’s15th annual Water Taste Contest, contact Bill Meinholz or Nora Bertram at AB&H, A Donohue Group at (312) 236-9147.
Previous Taste Test Winners:
2009 City of Geneva
2008 City of Aurora
2007 Village of Elburn
2006 City of Aurora
2005 Wasco Sanitary District
2004 Wasco Sanitary District
2003 Village of Carpentersville
2002 Village of Carpentersville
2001 City of Elgin
2000 City of Aurora
1999 Village of North Aurora
1998 City of Aurora
1997 City of Batavia
