by Trish Rudder
Berkeley Springs Water was awarded second place in the Municipal Water category at the 35th Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition.
Held on Saturday, February 22 at The Country Inn, the annual event had a “U.S. sweep” in the Municipal Water Category, said event producer Jill Klein Rone in the press release. Superintendent Rick Mayhew, of Berkeley Springs Water Works (BSWW), said last week that when he heard that Piedmont, WV had tied for fifth place in the municipal water category, he was ecstatic.
Mayhew works for Piedmont’s water department Saturday through Monday.
When he heard that Berkeley Springs Water won second place, the silver medal, “I didn’t hear anything else,” he said. “I was so happy.”
submitted photo
Three BSWW employees – Jason Powell, Tye Redick and John Unger all attended the event, and Mayhew said he could hear them cheering.
Powell said the win was “very cool.”
Mayhew, who is a Class III Water Operator, enjoyed the presentation given by Ryan Federau, a Class II operator at Clearbrook Waterworks District from British Columbia, Canada.
Mayhew said Clearbrook won a gold medal seven times, one silver and one bronze and the water tastes very similar to Berkeley Springs but Clearbrook’s water is untreated. “It is not chlorinated,” Mayhew said.
Mayhew said he and Federau shared water issues and found similarities to each other’s plant and their training is also similar.
photo by Trish Rudder
Klein Rone said last week the water tasting event and its seminars provide connections and networking with other participants.
Federau’s seminar that was presented on Friday titled “Liquid Gold – From Source to Tap” is where Federau talked about the insights and lessons he has learned as the Water Quality Technician at Clearbrook.
Mayhew said one of the areas he and Federau discussed is the tool used to clamp a water line that is leaking. Berkeley Springs uses an aluminum piece called a water line crimper. It cost less than $100.
The Clearbrook Waterworks District uses a hydraulic piece that is cumbersome to use and costs a lot more. Mayhew said Federau took a picture of the aluminum crimping tool and was interested in using it at Clearbrook.
Winning the silver medal this year “makes us look for a higher standard to get gold,” Mayhew said.
Berkeley Springs municipal water comes from the natural warm springs that surface in the Berkeley Springs State Park, less than a block from the Water Works treatment plant.
The water in the springs has been attracting health-seekers and visitors since colonial times.
Berkeley Springs Water Works is owned by the Town of Bath and has won recognition as one of the top five winners in the water tasting’s municipal water category as follows:
Berkeley Springs Water won second place in 1991, fourth place in 1993, fifth place in 1996, third place (Bronze metal) in 2009 and fifth place in 2019, according to the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting website.
