Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest FestivalΒ is renowned for hosting an abundance of flavours, smells and sounds, hitting the town this week until Sunday 4 March. This year, however, theΒ Queensland Water Directorate (Qldwater)Β is introducing tap water as a humble addition to the repertoire.

Qldwater will be hosting a community water taste test to help Southern Downs Regional Council select its top drop to enter in the 2018Β Ixom Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test. With samples from three of Council’s water treatment plants, plus a mystery source, participants in the taste test will be asked to judge the entries by colour, odour and taste using a scientifically proven water wheel.

Qldwater started the Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test in 2011 to promote the good work done by water service providers in producing a consistently quality product for their communities. This competition celebrates the water industry’s resilience in spite of numerous challenges including natural disasters and changes in water regulations, which impact how water service providers manage wastewater.

The Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test has since grown to become a coveted national competition with theΒ Water Industry Operators Association (WIOA)Β introducing it in New South Wales, ACT, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.

The quest to find the top drop of tap water in Queensland keeps evolving as different formats are trialed to decide the winner each year. Some tests simply involve measuring a water sources ability to make a good cup of tea.

The Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival is one of Queensland’s longest running and most successful festivals, and was voted Queensland’s 9th favourite Iconic Event/Festival during theΒ Queensland Q150 Celebrations.The biennial festival is a celebration of the Granite Belt region’s produce and booming wine industry, with an average of 60,000 people attending each year over the past five decades.

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