David Smith has done it again as Glenden WTP received Best Tasting Water Award, but this time it’s for Queensland!

Our Senior Operator David Smith has played his role in achieving Best Tasting Water for his work at Glenden WTP in Isaac. David has previously achieved this award for Isaac Regional Council’s own taste test, last winning Best Water in Isaac in 2022 while working at Dysart WTP. This year, his work at Glenden has seen success in Queensland as awarded at the QLD Water Directorate Annual Forum last month.

In an event first, this years title has resulted in a tie, with Isaac Regional Council’s Glenden WTP & Fraser Coast Regional Council’s Burgowan WTP taking the win for 2024.

The competition is called Water of Origin and is aimed at raising awareness for drinking water quality in Queensland and NSW. Councils can choose to nominate their best water sample to be tested by a panel of judges at the qldwater Annual Forum and NSW Annual Forum respectively. We spoke to David Smith to get a better understanding of the lead up to the competition from his point of view.

Isaac Winning Sample

Before shipping off to the qldwater Annual Forum, Isaac Regional Council holds a taste test amongst their treatment plants to determine which water sample would best represent them in the competition. David Smith had been working at Glenden WTP, one of 8 drinking water supply schemes across Isaac Regional Council.

“Tuesday the day before samples were taken to Moranbah for judging the best water in Isaac, I was not operating the plant.”

David Smith when asked about the initial judging for the best tasting water in Isaac Regional Council, hadn’t known about the upcoming event. The day of the initial sample draw, he had swapped with another Isaac staff member to work on the WWTP so the newcomer could gain some exposure to Water Treatment.

He had only later learned that they’d been close to the initial win.

“There was only 1 vote separating the 3 plants in Isaac, with Middlemount and Moranbah being the other 2 plants.”

QLD Winning Sample

David and Isaac’s Glenden Operator, Owen, work the treatment plant together.

“Owen had been back at work for 3 days…Owen had lowered the Free Chlorine dose rate slightly 2 days before sampling when Stephen Wagner arrived, completely unannounced and asked me to fill several glass bottles with Glenden Water.”

“That was the first I knew that Glenden had won the Isaac competition.”

David shares that he was surprised to learn of the win. Quickly bottling it up, the samples were sent directly to the qldwater Annual Forum Queensland Water Taste Test.

In 2022, David Smith and the team received the Isaac award for the water produced while working at Dysart’s WTP, another of the four plants at Isaac Regional Council.

David’s no stranger to the Water Taste Test competition.

“2021 – while working in Cloncurry for S&B I found out about the competition and asked Cloncurry Council if they considered entering their water.” At the time however, Cloncurry was not interested.

“I resolved that if ever I had the chance I would like to have my water judged by my peers to find out how I compared with the rest of the industry.”

“When I got to Isaac and found out they do the judging every year, I was very apprehensive.”

This year, he is proud to have got the win, working alongside Isaac Regional Council staff. Congratulations are owed to David and the Isaac team working alongside him. Excellent work!

David Smith has been posted at Isaac Regional Council’s Glenden Water Treatment Plant since January this year, working to help maintain high quality water for the council. David has been a monumental help in his role and is elated to have received this recognition.

What’s Next?

The National Water Taste Test will be held in November 2024.

“So it looks like we will have to keep working hard to try and get Glenden water to the Australian level!” – David Smith, Senior Operator