Drinking water in the City of Fredericton has been judged as the best and cleanest tasting in North America by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the world’s largest non-profit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water.
“This is a wonderful honour for the City of Fredericton, and one we share with the dedicated water and sewer staff who work around the clock to provide clean, safe and great-tasting drinking water to our community,” said Fredericton Mayor Steve Hicks. “This award reflects the care behind a service residents rely on every day.”
Fredericton’s water was judged best of 32 regional winners from municipalities across North America at the American Water Works Association annual conference in June.
“Winning the Best of the Best Water Taste Test is an incredible accomplishment, and the people of Fredericton can be proud,” said AWWA CEO David LaFrance. “It’s clear that Fredericton’s water professionals take great pride in their work and are committed to providing outstanding water at the tap. Congratulations to everyone involved in managing, treating, and delivering the best-tasting water in North America – and to the people of Fredericton who enjoy it every day.”
A team of professionally trained flavour profilers rated the water for taste, aroma and consistency during several rounds of testing. Fredericton won the highest honour awarded at the conference, the Best of the Best Water Taste Test.
“For our team, this is like winning the Stanley Cup of drinking water,” said Dylan Gamble, Director of Engineering and Operations. “We are incredibly proud of the work we do and the service we provide to residents. We are thrilled that our water is being recognized in this way.”
Fredericton’s drinking water comes from the South Fredericton Aquifer, a natural sand and gravel deposit located more than 60 meters beneath the city’s downtown. Water from the nearby Wolastoq (Saint John River) and surrounding water table is naturally filtered through the aquifer before being drawn from 11 major production wells. From there, it passes through one of two treatment plants, where it is treated and filtered before entering the city’s distribution system. The system includes 433 km of water mains, booster stations and reservoir sites, delivering water to 19,000 service connections, and more than 2,500 fire hydrants.
Fredericton’s water and sewer services are provided by a self-funded utility that has been operated by the City of Fredericton since 1884.