Top Ops Competition by Dennis Kelleher, P.E. he 7th Annual NYSAWWA Top Ops Competition was held at the Spring Meeting in Saratoga Springs. A total of four (4) teams competed including Monroe County Water Authority, Town of Canandaigua Water Department, City of Syracuse Water Department, and the Long Island Water Conference representatives from Garden City Park Water District. The Monroe County Water Authority Team had an impressive showing, more than doubling the score of the nearest competitor. The Monroe County Water Authority winning team members include Mike Terrore and Christine Thornley. Congratulations to the Monroe County Water Authority Team. The Monroe County Water Authority Team will now travel to Denver, Colorado to compete in the National Top Ops Competition at the ACE13. This will be the second trip to the National Competition for the Monroe County Water Authority Team. The Section wishes the New York Section Top Ops team good luck in Denver! T Canandaigua Named State’s Best Drinking Water by Kayla Bronson I n a competition held by the New York Section American Water Works Association (NYSAWWA) at the Annual Water Event and Expo in Saratoga Springs, NY, the City of Canandaigua’s drinking water has been named “New York’s Best Tasting Water.” The city can now take part in the national competition held by the AWWA at its national conference in Denver, CO in June. Tap water from Canandaigua and two other cities across the state were scored in a blind test according to their taste, odor, clarity, color, feel in the mouth, and aftertaste by a panel of judges at NYSAWWA’s annual conference, held in Saratoga Springs, NY. Canandaigua received a total average score of 26.2, out of a possible 30 points. Latham Water District came in second with 25.5 and the Niagara County Water District received third place with a score of 24.7. Judges for this year’s event included Mark Cline, a vice president with the American Water Works Association; Amanda Bauner, outgoing chair of NYSAWWA; Michael Marino, past NYSAWWA chair; Dennis Kelleher, section director of NYSAWWA; Kevin Castro, vice chair of NYSAWWA; and Manoj Ajmera, contest originator. Best Tasting Drinking Water Judges. Best Tasting Drinking Water winner, Peter Virkler, Chief Operator, Canandaigua Water Treatment Facility, and Amanda Bauner, Past Chair of NYSAWWA smile for a picture to capture Canandaigua’s victory. 22 SPRING/SUMMER 2013 AqUARIUS