The city earned best in the world honors in the Best Municipal Water category in 2010 and 2015, and first in the United States in 2009, 2014, and 2018.
The city has also previously earned podium finishes for the Berkley Springs water competition for Best Purified Water. In addition to this year’s second-place finish, the city earned third place in 2020, fifth place in 2018, and third place in 2016.
“Reliable access to clean drinking water is something that is of the utmost importance to our community,” said Edwin Porter, Executive Director of Infrastructure. “The fact that Hamilton’s municipal water is consistently recognized in this international competition really is a testament to the quality of our product.”
Porter said it’s common for a person to spend $2 for a bottle of water, but for that same $2, Porter said residents can get around 1,100 bottles of award-winning water from the tap.
“I am very proud of our highly skilled and dedicated team, who have perfected the process to keep this luxury water running throughout our community,” he said.
Hamilton, as well as several communities in the region, gets its water from the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer.
The city does bottle its water, which is labeled Hamilton On Tap, and Mayor Pat Moeller said not only is the city’s bottled water tastes great, but “the bottles are environmentally friendly” since the bottles are reusable.
“It takes a great city team to produce water quality that has been judged highly many times,” the mayor said. “We have a water taste dynasty.”
Hamilton Water Superintendent John Bui said the award is due to the work of the city’s staff.
“Our staff works tirelessly to produce the highest quality and finest tasting water for our community,” he said. “To ensure high-quality water is being distributed to our community, our water is constantly monitored. Samples are taken from every step of the treatment process at least every two hours.”
While it’s convenient to get the city’s award-winning tap water by turning on a faucet or spigot, to get the city’s bottled water is a bit rare. Moeller has bestowed six-packs of water on occasion at City Council meetings ― though that practice hasn’t been done recently ― but the city does sell its water. While the bottled water is currently out of stock currently, it can be ordered at 513-785-7245.
Hamilton has been known to ship water out to disaster areas. In 2017, the city shipped more than 100 cases of Hamilton On Tap to Texas residents who had been devastated by Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane.
Hamilton has two water plants: the South Water Treatment Plant, located on River Road in Fairfield, and the North Water Treatment Plant, located on North Third Street in Hamilton. The South Water Treatment Plant serves as the primary facility for Hamilton’s water distribution system, pumping about 15.5 million gallons per day for the city of Hamilton and Butler County’s water distribution systems.
About the Author
