DELHI _ Three cold cups of potentially prize-winning water can be a welcome treat when the temperature hovers in the 80s.
Forty-two people volunteered to sip water Wednesday at the Delhi Farmers' Market in Courthouse Square and voted Walton's water the best in Delaware County.
When the votes were tallied after the 22nd annual Best Tasting Water in New York State contest, Walton was a runaway winner with 24 votes, followed by Sidney with 13 votes and Hancock with 5 votes, said Mary Beth Silano, Delaware County Chamber of Commerce executive director.
Silano and Betty McIntosh, Chamber receptionist, manned the water table, handing out cold cups of water labeled A, B and C. When the contest was over, it was revealed the following letters were assigned in this order: A, Hancock; B, Sidney; and C, Walton.
Bea Mooney, of Treadwell, stepped up to the table to sample the entries and quickly chose her favorite.
"C was almost sweet, A was horrible and B was similar to C," Mooney said. She voted for C.
Maria Kelso, owner of Magnolia's in Davenport Center, also chose Walton's water.
"A tastes like pond water," Kelso said quickly putting the cup down. As she moved on to B, she said, "That's divine."
But in the end, she opted for C, noting that it was colder.
"This was fun," Kelso said.
Donna Michel, of Delhi, said, "Water is very important to me," as she lifted the first cup.
"A tastes kind of flat. It's not as good as the water from my spring," Michel said. "B tastes better than A, but I wouldn't say it's super."
After repeatedly tasting B and C, Michel picked Sidney's water and announced, "It's really hard, but I think I like B. A lot of it depends on if the water has been sitting in the pipes."
Tom Briggs, Delaware County Office for the Aging director, moved quickly down the line, appearing to almost chew the water as he tasted each sample.
"It's C," Briggs announced, grinning as he held up the Walton sample.
Jim Nordberg, village of Sidney water superintendent, was waiting to see if his village's water would repeat. Last year, Sidney captured the county bragging rights, but lost in the regional round.
"Hey, it's their turn," Nordberg said, gesturing toward Butch Smith, who had delivered Walton's water to the contest.
Walton Mayor Ed Snow said he was pleased to hear that Walton had won.
Walton also won in 2005, but couldn't defend the title in 2006 when the competition was canceled because of flooding in the region that affected all of the towns that traditionally compete for the best-water honors.
"It's nice to come back and win," Snow said Wednesday. "It shows that we are back from the flood and our water system survived. I am happy and pleased."
Walton won the statewide award in 1998, while in 2005, it advanced to the state fair, where it finished in a tie for second.
The next step is a regional contest in Cortland, with a chance to qualify for the state fair competition near Syracuse.
"We all know that Delaware County has the best water in the world," Silano said. "Now Walton has the bragging rights for the next year."
