From left: Business manager Judy McKula, district engineer Keith Levasseur, water quality manager Nick Tumolo and superintendent David Parent of the Sanford Water District
By Lee Burnett
The taste of Sanford’s drinking water wowed the crowd of the New England Water Works Association conference last week.
Sanford Water District won both the Judge’s Award and the People’s Choice award, according to the association. It was the first time a single water district has won both awards in the 15 years the competition has been held. It was also the first time Sanford Water District has entered the competition.
“This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff,” said District Superintendent David Parent. “We take great pride in delivering safe, reliable, and high-quality drinking water to the Sanford community.”
Parent said entering the competition was the idea of district engineer Keith Levasseur and water quality manager Nick Tumolo.
“They wanted to do it. I said as long as you can figure out how to get it there fresh,” he said. Business manager Judy McKula volunteered to drive water samples in mason jars to the conference site at the Samoset Inn in Rockport.
Fresh water has a distinct advantage, Parent explained, because as water sits around, it can take on an off taste from oxidation and chlorine. “Rules say you can’t refrigerate it. It must be at ambient temperature … The sooner you can pull it from a tap, the better the water’s going to be,” he said.
Ten water districts from across six states entered the competition this year, according to Demetri Vidalis, president of the water works association. Both competitions are set up as blind taste tests, he said. Three judges chosen from the association judged water on taste, clarity and odor. In addition, all 300 attendees of the conference were given a chance to submit their own choice.
Vidalis said the awards come with bragging rights for the next year. “They get a pat on the back and a photo with the president,” he quipped.
Parent said he wasn’t surprised by the awards. “I think our water can stand up to any water,” he said. The water is pumped from vast underground aquifers in the glacial outwash plain of southern Maine, which naturally provides cold, clear, high-quality water. “It has nothing to do with us,” he said.
Sanford water receives very little treatment. “Officially, it’s not treated,” Parent said. Since 1972, fluoride has been added to enhance dental health. Since 1999, the district has raised the pH level of water to neutralize the effect of lead and copper that may leach out as water sits in household plumbing overnight. And for the past 20 years, under the suggestion of state drinking water authorities, the district has added low levels of chlorine. The chlorine is not needed because of bacteria or virus in the water. It’s needed to protect the water should it be exposed to air by residential storage tanks, he said.
The next phase of treatment will be filtering out trace amounts of Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), long-lasting man-made chemicals from a variety of household and industrial products now found in tiny amounts in drinking water, soil and wildlife. A new treatment facility will be built over the next few years off Spartan Drive.
Both trophies—the Judge’s Water Cup and the People’s Choice Award—will be displayed in the district office lobby on River Street for the next 12 months. Customers are invited to stop by and view them. Staff have already committed to returning next year to defend the title.
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