The competition was conducted during lunch on the first day of the Alliance of Indiana Rural Water Annual Fall Conference at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Throughout the year, the Alliance in partnership with Wessler Engineering, held four different regional competitions around the state. The regional winners were: NineStar Connect, Connersville Utilities, The Town of Cicero and City of Fort Wayne.
Participating water samples were judged on three categories – clarity, odor, and taste. The competition is part of the Quality on Tap! Campaign to emphasize the high quality, standards, and, consequently, taste of rural water. As the winner of the “Best Tasting Water in Indiana,” Fort Wayne City Utilities will advance to compete in “The Great American Water Taste Test,” a national contest at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in early February 2025. This event is part of the Rural Water Rally, an annual legislative event for the 50 state affiliates of the National Rural Water Association.