Wisconsin town whomps NYC in water taste test

On Tuesday, a panel of expert tasters convened in Chicago to crown North America's best-tasting tap water. The winner: Stevens Point, Wisconsin, whose 25,000 residents are thrilled that they beat New York City for the top spot.

Stevens Point's water utility, which delivers its award-winning water from groundwater wells, was already euphoric in September when it won the state finals in Lake Delton, beating out the Milwaukee Water Works with its Lake Michigan origins.

"We put up a banner on Highway 51, by the fire station," when Stevens Point won the Wisconsin title, said Kim Halverson, director of the city's water utility and the mother of the 32-year-old mayor.

The DEP were good sports about their second-place finish, though:

City officials said they are enormously pleased with New York’s runner-up status, and [DEP Commissioner Cas] Holloway pointed to the city’s other water-related virtues: ”Not only does our water taste great, but it is also one of the secret ingredients in our world-famous bagels and pizza,” he said.

We can't help but suspect this is all Phoenicia's fault. Time to build that sewer plant, guys.