Windsor offers the best-tasting tap water in Ontario, according to people whose working lives are all about water.

A water sample from the Windsor Utilities Commission won a recent competition put on by the Ontario Water Works Association.

The association, made up of people employed in keeping Ontario water safe and sustainable, held two rounds of blind taste tests during its recent conference in Blue Mountain.

Everyone at the conference had a chance to try the water and vote before the final decision was turned over to a small panel of judges.

"This award confirms our role as a provincial leader in the field of water technology," said John Wladarski, general manager of the Windsor Utilities Commission, said in a release.

Windsor's award-winning tap water starts with the Detroit River. Making it safe to drink takes committed workers and an ozone system for getting rid of impurities, Wladarski said.

Taste and odour removed

"What the ozone does is remove that taste and odour," supervisor Glen Bondy said Monday of the river water coming into the Weeks treatment plant on Wyandotte Street.

Ozone is a powerful disinfectant that helps the plant clean 176 million litres of water a day, he said.

"Everyone puts a lot of pride on what we do," said Nick Sementilli, one of 30 workers who keep the plant running. "We want to make sure not just that we make good water, but we want to make the best water possible for the city of Windsor and whoever we supply."

At the convention, Windsor's water won the taste title by defeating an unnamed finalist. Windsor's name only became known after the judges made up their minds.

Those who tasted and voted were given no guidelines for choosing the best water, said Lesia Kostecki, the association's marketing manager.

"It's a matter of personal preference," she said.

The annual competition, which began in 2008, is open to utilities across Ontario. Stratford won last year.