South Huntington Water Loses in Finals of County Taste Test

Beating out South Huntington and two other entries for the Suffolk County title, the Suffolk County Water Authority finished first this week in the finals of the annual Best-Tasting Water Contest.

Water samples from Greenlawn, South Huntington, Dix Hills and the Suffolk County Water Authority were judged at SUNY Farmingdale by about 100 students during a blind taste test Tuesday. 

"We’re delighted that our water was chosen for its excellent taste, but our top priority is making sure it’s pure and safe, which we are able to do because our water is tested constantly and surpasses internal standards that are even more rigorous than New York State and EPA regulations," Tim Motz of the Suffolk County Water Authority said.

Sponsored by the Long Island Water Conference for the past 27 years, the purpose of the competition is to highlight quality and quantity of tap water throughout Long Island, according to water conference chairman Frank Koch. 

A majority of students said they preferred tap water to bottled water — though a number said they use some kind of filtration device before drinking it. 

“It’s good that people are investigating filtration methods,” said Ken Claus, a water conference spokesperson. “But we recommend that people change their filters regularly — or the filter itself could cause more problems.”

Dix Hills .