Silverdale: Where the water tastes like cherry wine

For the second year in a row, Silverdale water will be put to the test.

A national taste test, that is.

After drowning the competition and garnering first place recognition in the South Sound and Pacific Northwest categories, water from the Silverdale Water District will be entered at the national level of competition through the American Water Works Association.

So far, Silverdale water has beat out water from the city of Kalama, Whatcom County, the city of Roque River in Oregon and Oregon’s Oak Lodge Water District.

The district’s general manager, Morgan Johnson, said he isn’t sure why Silverdale’s water ranks so high with the well-hydrated. The district is hoping to start a study with the U.S. Geological Survey to get to the bottom of it.

Last year, water from Silverdale made it to the national level and tied for first with a water district from Macon, Ga., resulting in a taste-off that Silverdale lost.

The water will be judged June 22 in Chicago at the American Water Works Association convention.

The district draws from 14 different wells which are tapped into three separate aquifers.

The prized water comes from comes from a site called the Wixson well, near the district’s office on NW Newberry Hill Road.

The well descends 998 feet into the ground, down nearly 500 feet below sea level. The aquifer from which it draws extends from NW Newberry Hill Road to Ridgetop Boulevard and serves about 4,000 customers, Johnson said.

In addition to the American Water Works Association competition, the district won first place in a Washington Association of Water and Sewer District taste test in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.