Watch CBS News

State Fairgoers: Rochester Has N.Y. State's Tastiest Drinking Water

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Rochester beat out New York City and Mount Vernon this week as the winner of the New York State Drinking Water Contest.

The state Health Department said about 250 people at the New York State Fair in Syracuse participated in the contest. They selected the water in Rochester as the tastiest among 10 water systems chosen in regional competitions.

The Mohawk Valley village of Fort Plain came in second.

Rochester draws an average of 21.1 million gallons of water daily from Hemlock and Canadice Lakes.

The other finalists were the Wyoming County village of Arcade; the village of Barneveld in Oneida County; the Bolton Point Water System in Tompkins County; the Broome County town of Conklin; the town of Guilderland in Albany County; the village of Hoosick Falls in Rensselaer County; the village of Mount Vernon in Westchester County; and New York City.

Westchester County has been in proverbial hot water for the issues about its water lately. The federal government earlier this month filed a lawsuit, claiming the county fialed to treat its water supply against a deadly parasite.

The U.S. Attorney and the Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit against the county, charging that it is violating the federal Safe Water Drinking Act by pumping unfiltered water into areas like Scarsdale, White Plains and Yonkers since April of last year.

That unfiltered water is not treated for the parasite cryptosporidium, authorities allege.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.