Monday, October 26, 2026
The Atlantic Canada Water & Wastewater Association (ACWWA) handed out its 2026 awards during the annual conference, held in Moncton, N.B.
The City of Charlottetown Water and Sewer Utility earned top honors for its drinking water, winning both the Best of the Best Tap Water Taste Test and the inaugural People’s Choice Taste Test.
The Best of the Best competition brings together water utilities from across Atlantic Canada to determine the region’s best-tasting tap water. This year, 10 entries were evaluated by a panel of water professionals based on appearance, odour, taste and overall impression.
This marks Charlottetown’s third win in the regional tap water taste test competition. In 2024, the City also won the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Best of the Best award, earning the title of best-tasting tap water in North America. As this year’s winner in Atlantic Canada, the City will once again compete for the Best of the Best title at the AWWA’s Annual Conference and Exposition in San Diego, California, next June.
New to the ACWWA conference in 2026, the People’s Choice Taste Test invited conference attendees to sample water from participating utilities and vote for their favourite. Charlottetown received the most votes and became the first community to win the new award category.
“These awards are a reflection of the care, dedication and expertise our staff bring to their work every day,” said Josh McInnis, Manager of Water and Sewer Utility. “We take great pride in providing Charlottetown residents with high-quality drinking water, and it’s rewarding to see those efforts recognized on a regional level.”
Lauren Fleet of CBCL won the Emerging Leader Award. This award recognizes emerging professionals who have demonstrated leadership and commitment to the water and wastewater sector. With seven years of experience in climate resilience, adaptation planning, and water infrastructure projects, Lauren is helping communities build a more resilient future.
Joseph Odume of Dalhousie University was the winner of the Fresh Ideas Poster Contest. The Fresh Ideas Poster Contest provides students and emerging leaders with an opportunity to showcase innovative research, share new perspectives, and engage with water and wastewater professionals from across Atlantic Canada. Odume’s winning poster, “Assessment of Photoelectrochemical Oxygen Demand as a Monitoring Tool for BOD in Municipal Wastewater,” explored an innovative approach to wastewater monitoring and demonstrated the valuable contributions that research and emerging technologies can make to the industry.
CBCL also celebrated winning the Project of the Year Award – Medium category, for its TransAqua Wastewater Treatment Facility Wastewater Heat Recovery Project. The award recognizes innovative projects that deliver meaningful benefits to communities while advancing sustainability within the water sector.
Working alongside TransAqua, CBCL developed an innovative solution to recover heat from treated wastewater and repurpose it as a renewable energy source. Rather than allowing that energy to go to waste, the system captures and reuses it to help heat the facility, reducing overall energy consumption and supporting more sustainable operations.
Featured image: Joseph Odume (left), 2026 ACWWA Fresh Ideas Poster Contest winner. (ACWWA)
