Town tapped for water award
Published 5:00 am Friday, April 11, 2008
In Wesson, it’s accurate to say quality is in the water.
Officials at the Mississippi Rural Water Association havedeclared Wesson’s the best-tasting water in Mississippi.
The contest was to determine the best rural water in the state.The competition is part of a Quality On Tap! campaign to emphasizethe high quality, standards and, consequently, taste of ruralwater.
Wesson Public Works Director Mark Brown said the water samples,brought from rural water companies all around the state, werejudged on clarity, color and taste.
“I really don’t know what made the difference for us,” Brownsaid. “Except that it’s a real community effort to have good waterhere in Wesson.”
His workers say there’s really no trick to it.
“There’s just good drinking water in Wesson,” said waterdepartment worker Joe Glasper. “It’s the best water in thestate!”
Wesson Mayor Alton Shaw said the honor is one his town is proudto boast, especially after a situation in the late 1980s where thewater supply was contaminated for a brief period of time.
“It was contaminated years ago and nobody would drink it,” hesaid. “Everyone was scared of it, and we’ve come around now to winthis award. We’re very proud.”
Winners of the state taste tests will compete in a nationalcontest in Washington, D.C., on April 22. The event is part of theRural Water Rally, an annual legislative event for the 45 stateaffiliates of National Rural Water Association.
“Because of the quality of this water, the state of Mississippihas a good chance at the national taste test in Washington, D.C.,”said Mississippi Rural Water Association Executive Director KirbyMayfield.
Shaw said samples will sent by Fed-Ex and UPS both to make sureWesson’s award-winning water gets to Washington. In addition, Brownwill be attending the competition, and Shaw said he might be ableto accompany him to the nation’s capital as well.
Shaw praised the public works department, saying employees’ hardwork had helped put Wesson water on the map.
“This honor is entirely due to the dedicated efforts of ourpublic works team,” he said. “I would like to personally thank ourpublic works director Mark Brown, along with employees Joe Glasper,Sidney Stapleton and Jimmy Delaney for their continued work anddedication to the overall quality of our system.”
Brown said the accolade is not just a product of the worksdepartment’s dedication, but a combined effort by the town to makesure things are done right.
“The police patrol the water treatment plant and the towers andnotify us if they see anything unusual; the fire departmentroutinely flushes the plugs to make sure there’s no sediment in thewater; and the city clerks are always in the office to give us aquick response to phone calls so we can fix problems as soon aspossible,” he said. “The city government makes sure I go to classesand keep my certifications current. Everybody’s got a big part ofthis.”
Shaw said besides being an exciting award to win, now Wessonresidents can save a little money. Instead of buying commerciallybottled water, they can drink the state’s best from their owntaps.
“Guess how much you pay for a gallon of water in Wesson?” hesaid. “Less than 1 cent a gallon.”