St. Charles wins Kane County water taste test

St. Charles on Thursday received a new honor - best drinking water in Kane County.

A panel of judges decided that St. Charles has the best drinking water based on taste, odor and clarity during the Kane County Water Association's annual water-tasting contest Thursday at Global Brew Tap House in St. Charles.

Aurora - which won the contest last year - came in second place. The city of Aurora went on to win the 2022 Best Water in Illinois contest held by the American Water Works Association - Illinois Section.

Geneva and Sugar Grove tied for third place in Thursday's contest. Matt Wilson, environmental services division manager for the St. Charles Public Works Department who grew up in St. Charles, was pleased with the honor.

"It's exciting," he said. "I'm really excited. It's fun to be able to finally have the title of best water in Kane County."

The award has been presented since 1997. Wilson said his department has worked hard to provide the best water it can to St. Charles residents and businesses.

"We've had an uptick in breweries that have opened up, and I feel that we've gone a little above and beyond to help make sure they have high-quality water to start with for the brewing process," Wilson said.

With the win, St. Charles will now be able to compete in the state competition in March.

St. Charles, along with Geneva, Sugar Grove, Aurora, Carpentersville, West Dundee and Montgomery, took part in the competition. The four judges were all retired water operators and managers.

That included retired South Elgin water superintendent Dan Mann, who admitted that it was hard determining what community had the best water.

"There's some personal preference on what taste you like," he said.

South Elgin has entered the contest in the past. Mann said that one of his goals as South Elgin water superintendent was to ensure the quality of the water on a consistent basis.

The village uses well water, which can present challenges, as Mann explained.

"It's difficult to maintain the taste compared to communities that have surface water," he said.