Goulburn River water goes up against state’s best

By Murray Silby

Feb 29, 2024

Go to the source: Shepparton’s Goulburn River water has been beaten to the state title for best tap water in Victoria. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

In a major boilover, the Goulburn Valley’s best water has missed the final of Victoria’s best tap water competition.

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Goulburn Valley Water had entered a Goulburn River drop from the Shepparton Water Treatment Plant in the IXOM Best Tasting Tap Water Competition’s state contest in Bendigo on Tuesday, February 27.

Instead of progressing to the national final in November, however, it missed out on reaching the state final.

Yarra Valley Water took out the top prize at the Water Industry Operations Association of Australia’s 85th Victorian Water Industry Operations Conference and Exhibition over finalists Central Highlands Water (White Swan), Barwon Water (Apollo Bay) and North East Water (Oxley).

Yarra Valley’s sample was from the Melbourne Water Silvan water treatment plant.

TasWater and its Fern Tree water treatment plant are the reigning national champions.

Judges rated each tap water sample according to colour, clarity, odour and taste.

Goulburn Valley Water chose Shepparton as its entrant following a range of improvement works that had been carried out at the Welsford St treatment plant over the past couple of years.

Its nomination recognised the efforts of water treatment specialists to continually supply safe and reliable water during two flood events, in October 2022 and January 2024.