Monitoring key to award-winning drinking water in Erie, Colo.

Water treatment officials in Erie, Colo. can be proud of the work they do – the town’s water was recently awarded the title of “tastiest drinking water” in the Rocky Mountain region by American Water Works, according to Daily Camera. Officials say monitoring was key to winning the award.

Plant employees at the town’s water treatment facility keep tabs on blue-green algae, pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen on a 24-hour basis. And for a region that has seen a rise in gas production from fracking, officials take effects of the practice into account too. Handheld meters test water in Prince and Erie lakes on a weekly basis.

The effort has paid off, with no oil or gas byproducts found in local waters since monitoring began. And the result has been clean, tasty water, according to judges that voted on the award. They noted that Erie’s water was crisp, had no odor and was distinct in taste from others they sampled.