City Taps Another Strength, Wins Drinking Water Contest

New York City, already the financial and cultural capital of the state, can add one more achievement to the list: It has the best-tasting tap water. The city beat out 150 other communities around the state to win the annual tap water taste test at the New York State Fair in Syracuse yesterday.

Mayor Bloomberg praised the city's Department of Environmental Protection, which manages the city's water supply, and credited it with the victory over the second-place finisher, Pulaski, a town in Oswego County with a population of about 2,400.

"Our drinking water system is the lifeblood of our City and the men and women of the Department of Environmental Protection, under the leadership of Commissioner Emily Lloyd, work tirelessly to uphold the high quality and integrity of our drinking water," Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. "For New York City residents and our visitors, the choice between bottled water and tap water is as easy as choosing between a frozen pizza and a slice from a New York pizzeria."

Mr. Bloomberg noted that the city's water supply is unfiltered, which he said was a further testament to its quality.

The state health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, congratulated the city on its win over rival Albany, which took the best-tasting water award last year.

"Once again, this contest demonstrates that some of the world's best-tasting and highest quality drinking water is found in New York's largest city," Dr. Daines said in a statement.

The state Department of Health and the New York Section of the American Water Works Association co-sponsor the contest, which has run for 22 years.