Pictured left to right: Seth Rye of Rye Engineering, Kaleb Thompson and Jay Mullin with Eastside UD, Stephanie Clay and Rick Kirby with W.K. Dickson, and Nick Iberg of Eastside UD.
Eastside Utility District was recently named the winner of the Region 10 Best Tasting Water Contest sponsored by the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD) for the second year in a row.
TAUD Region 10 consists of Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, and Van Buren counties. In addition to Eastside Utility District, the other participating utilities included Sweetwater Utilities, Hixson Utility, Etowah Utility District, and Ocoee Utility District.
Participating as judges for the contest were Stephanie Clay and Rick Kirby of W.K. Dickson, and Seth Rye of Rye Engineering. Drinking water samples are judged on their clarity, bouquet, and taste.
Speakers at the event included Steve Copeland of Cumberland Insurance Agency, Jenna Hazelett of ServLine, and Tim Lawson of Region Leaders. Door prizes were also provided by Wascon, Hawkins Chemical, Water Leak Relief, ADE Engineering, ServLine, Cumberland Insurance Agency, RYE Engineering, and Brann & Whittemore.
This spring, TAUD is conducting the Best Tasting Water in Tennessee Contest in each of its 11 regions. Each regional winner will compete at the TAUD's 2022 Annual Business Conference at the Gatlinburg Convention Center on Thursday, Aug. 11. The statewide winner will represent TAUD at the Great American Water Taste Test held in conjunction with the National Rural Water Association’s Rural Water Rally in Washington D.C. in February, 2023.