South Australia to host national best tasting tap water competition

The 2026 IXOM Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia competition will be hosted by the Water Industry Operations Association of Australia (WIOA) at the Holdfast Bay Bowls Club in South Australia. The event brings together regional and state champions from across the country to compete for the national title.

Coliban Water’s Bendigo water treatment plant will represent Victoria following its victory in the state competition. Other confirmed participants include the Isaac Regional Council from Queensland, Water Corporation’s Capel Range Road South plant from Western Australia, TasWater’s Rocky Creek plant from Tasmania, and Rous County Council’s Nightcap Water Treatment Plant representing New South Wales and the ACT.

The competition utilizes blind tasting to assess samples based on colour, clarity, odour, and taste. Judges use a Water Tasting Wheel to evaluate characteristics, aiming for translucent water with minimal turbidity and a pleasant profile. The national winner may earn the opportunity to represent Australia at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition in West Virginia, USA, in February 2027.