Valley City: Voted the Best Place to Get a Glass of Water

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What makes a good glass of water?

In Valley City, they seem to have figured it out.

The city’s drinking water is being recognized as the best in North Dakota.

It’s a busy morning at The Viking Room restaurant in Valley City.

The wait staff makes sure each customer gets a glass of award-winning water.
 
“Come here for lunch every day. Love the ice cold tap water they have here.It’s great,” says Dean Pederson.
 
Valley City’s water is named the best in North Dakota, beating out other cities in a blind taste test at the 87th annual North Dakota Water and Pollution Control Conference in Bismarck.

Water Treatment Superintendent Wade Hesch is beaming like a proud parent.
 
“We take a lot of pride in the taste,” says Hesch.
 
Why do people like Valley City’s water so much?
 
“It’s crystal clear, and Kentucky’s is a little bit murkier,” says Brad Roppe, who is visiting from Kentucky.
 
Hesch shares his secrets with us at the Valley City Water Treatment Plant.
 
“We treat the Sheyenne River and we also have a Valley City aquifer which is surface and ground water, and that’s how we make it. We blend our water,” says Hesch.
 
Valley City’s drinking water has been named the best in North Dakota several times over the year, but in 2011 the city replaced its entire filtration system, installing this nanofilter system. 2015 is the first time since then Valley City water has been named the best in North Dakota.
 
“It’s kind of nice to get an award back when we just did regular line-softening and now when we’re up to date on this new water treatment plant,” says Hesch.
 
The new filtration system helps Valley City process sulfate-rich water pumped down from Devils Lake.

That it’s still award-winningly tasty is an added bonus.
 
“Oh my goodness, that is fantastic, people. Valley City water, its’ great!”

Valley City filters more than one million gallons of water each day for use in the community.