Thirsty? Check Out The County’s Drinking Water Contest

U.S. Air Force Stock Photo

LAKEWOOD – Cherry Creek, Dunkirk, Fredonia, Frewsburg, Jamestown and Mayville are getting set to compete in Chautauqua County’s annual drinking water contest at Chautauqua Mall.

County officials invite the public to stop by the water contest set up near center court in the mall on Saturday, May 11, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., to taste each water and vote for the one they like best.

“This is our opportunity to highlight just how important safe drinking water is to everyone, which is taken for granted by most until it becomes polluted or is not there when we turn on our taps.  We use the Water Tasting Contest as a way to encourage water stewardship and remind everyone that our everyday actions can impact our streams, rivers, lakes and groundwater, which is the source of our drinking water,” said Chautauqua County Commissioner of Health and Human Services Christine Schuyler. “Operating public drinking water systems requires around-the-clock dedication. Water operators and health officials are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to water emergencies and outages. Our elected officials and public water system owners also play a key role by making water-responsible decisions.  Our municipalities are making huge investments in their water systems by upgrading and replacing failing infrastructure, much of which is more than 100 years old.  These investments are crucial to make sure all of our systems deliver safe, abundant drinking water to our communities.”





The drinking water contest is held each year to provide an opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to join together in recognizing the vital role clean water plays.

The contest is co-sponsored by the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services, the County Water Works Association and the County Soil & Water Conservation District.

The winner from the county competition will go on to represent Chautauqua County in the Western New York regional competition and hopefully onto the State-wide competition.





















This year’s contest will also feature a new mascot, “Ronny Raindrop.”

“Our old mascot who has been at the contest for the past 25 years, has retired and we are asking for the public’s help in naming our new one,” said Schuyler. “We will be taking name suggestions on the Chautauqua County Health Department Facebook page and at the Mall during the contest. Come out and support your drinking water community by judging the water and naming our mascot and remember, it is everyone’s responsibility to protect our water resources.”

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