Adams County water is not just safe, it’s great tasting. At least that’s what a group of judges at the state’s first annual rural drinking water taste contest decided.

The Adams County Water Association won first place in the contest last month and will now advance to the national rural water contest in Washington D.C.

&uot;We’ve just got good water in this area,&uot; said Ken Herring, general manager of the association. &uot;(We) don’t have to aerate it or do anything for the smell.&uot;

The association does not have to put any additives to the ground water to make it suitable for drinking.

The only ingredients it adds are chlorine, which is required for all water systems, and aqua-mag, a harmless substance added to water in the Kingston are to prevent iron-coloring, he said.

Of the 400 rural water associations in the state, 18 participated in the contest at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.

The national competition will take place May 21 to 23.

&uot;Even though I’m the general manager, I couldn’t have done it without my hardworking employees,&uot; Herring said.

The Adams County Water Association is one of the largest of its kind, serving about 16,000 people in Adams County and some residents in Franklin and Jefferson counties since 1964.

There are 53,000 rural water associations nationwide, but only 6 percent of those serve more than 10,000 people, Herring said.

The Adams County Water Association, which employs 11 people, is a non-profit company owned by the customers.

Currently, it is preparing to undergo a $3.3 million upgrade.

This project will include upgrading equipment and enlarging the lines and tanks, Herring said. The association also just completed an $180,000 project to install back-up generators, he said.