Although that good-natured battle lies ahead, leaders and supporters of the water authority have been more concerned with a bigger fight over the past nine years: Retaining the CWA\u2019s ownership and structure.<\/p>\n
Spurred by an unsolicited 2017 bid from the private water company Aqua Pennsylvania, the public utility has resisted efforts to either sell or monetize its assets<\/a>. Numerous<\/a> legal conflicts<\/a> have followed, including a state Supreme Court<\/a> ruling earlier this year.<\/p>\n The case that ended up at the high court centered on who has the power to manage the authority\u2019s assets. This was in question because the City of Chester, which formed the authority in 1939, has been considered financially distressed since 1995 and has been under state receivership<\/a> since 2020. Chester, which filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2022, previously controlled the authority through a board entirely appointed by its city council. But a 2012 state law known as Act 73 amended the board structure to include members appointed by Chester and Delaware Counties as well.<\/p>\n Chester\u2019s state-appointed receiver<\/a>, as well as some city retirees<\/a> concerned about the future of their pensions, have viewed the water authority\u2019s assets as key to restoring the city\u2019s financial health. But the state Supreme Court ruled in January<\/a> that the city, and Delaware and Chester Counties, have equal representation in the authority \u2014 so the receiver cannot unilaterally make decisions about CWA assets.<\/p>\n In an interview with PA Local, Brandon said the authority\u2019s recent accolades are among the reasons why the CWA shouldn\u2019t be put up for sale.<\/p>\n Private entities, Brandon said, \u201cdon\u2019t care about the water quality. What they care about is profits. We\u2019re nonprofit. What we care about is service to our customers, reliability, affordability. Once that converts to a money-making machine \u2026 that all goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n Spotlight PA asked Aqua Pennsylvania about that characterization, but the company was unable to respond by publication time.<\/p>\n Chester Receiver Vijay Kapoor told PA Local through a spokesperson that he agrees \u201cthat privatizing a water system could lead to unnecessarily high rates,\u201d adding that his office has \u201csaid consistently that the water authority must remain in public hands.\u201d<\/p>\n His vision, he wrote, would be for \u201cthe Water Authority provide a consistent stream of revenue to the City of Chester to compensate the City for its asset being unconstitutionally taken away by the General Assembly in 2012.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the receiver\u2019s office filed a motion in Commonwealth Court to challenge the CWA board’s very structure<\/a>, arguing Act 73 was \u201cspecial legislation\u201d directed at only the CWA, which is forbidden under the Pennsylvania Constitution.<\/p>\n The taste test win, Kapoor said, is \u201cgreat news for Chester\u2019s residents, and we send our most sincere congratulations to the Authority.\u201d<\/p>\n The source of Pennsylvania\u2019s \u2018best\u2019-tasting water<\/p>\n The CWA\u2019s effort to provide good-quality water doesn\u2019t begin at its treatment plant, said Executive Manager Darryl Jenkins. \u201cOur primary goal is to have the best source water coming in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Although the authority is headquartered in Chester, its main water source and treatment plant are about 40 miles west.<\/p>\n The authority used to draw its water supply from the Delaware River, on which Chester sits. But in the early 20th century, heavy pollution spurred leaders to seek an alternative. The CWA acquired land by Octoraro Creek on the border of Chester and Lancaster Counties, where it constructed a two-billion-gallon reservoir and a treatment plant that opened in 1951.<\/p>\n Today, the CWA treats and distributes tens of millions of gallons from the Octoraro Reservoir every day, supplemented with water pumped 13 miles from the Susquehanna River when algae or other issues diminish the reservoir\u2019s quality.<\/p>\n Like water, the authority\u2019s efforts take a lot of shapes. To help reduce the amount of agricultural runoff that enters the Octaroro watershed, it works with farmers, Jenkins said. It also partners with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to plant trees around the reservoir<\/a>, which help guard it from pollutants and erosion.<\/p>\n Additionally, the CWA has begun aerating the lake to improve its ecosystem, and deploys buoys that emit ultrasonic frequencies<\/a> to manage algal growth.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re constantly trying to improve the quality of this reservoir, because the more we could take out of here, the lower the cost is for our ratepayers,\u201d Brandon said.<\/p>\n At the treatment plant, which PA Local toured, raw reservoir water undergoes what\u2019s called \u201cconventional water treatment.\u201d Chemicals called coagulants are added to it to encourage small particles in the water to stick together. The water is then stirred to encourage the development of large clumps of particular matter called \u201cflocs,\u201d which settle to the bottom. The water on top is then filtered through layers of gravel, silica sand, and tiny pieces of anthracite coal.<\/p>\n In addition to regular laboratory testing, three employees at the plant taste the resulting water several times per day, Jenkins said, and if something seems off, adjustments are made.<\/p>\n Those tweaks could include reducing the amount of coagulant if the water tastes metallic, or adding powdered activated carbon to get rid of any bad flavors or odors, said Steve McBryde, director of plant operations. The flavor needs \u201cpolishing\u201d more often in the summertime, he said, as algae are more likely to grow in the reservoir when it\u2019s warmer.<\/p>\n Once it\u2019s ready for distribution, the water gets pumped to nearby Oxford, and gravity carries it from there to the rest of the CWA\u2019s service area via transmission mains.<\/p>\n Competing nationally<\/p>\n When the CWA heads to Washington next week, its tap will face 31 American and Canadian utilities, from an Illinois village\u2019s public works department<\/a> to one of New England\u2019s largest water systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n The American Water Works Association, a trade organization that represents over 4,300 utilities across North America, started hosting the \u201cBest of the Best\u201d Taste Test in 2005 to \u201ccelebrate and highlight the hard work that water professionals do,\u201d said Dave Gaylinn, an AWWA spokesperson.<\/p>\n Each contender is chosen by their regional AWWA section via contests like the Pennsylvania version the CWA won. The entrants who advance to the national stage typically include a mix of newcomers and usual suspects, said Gaylinn, and all must have records free of regulatory violations for the past year.<\/p>\n Held annually at the AWWA Conference & Expo, the competition is an involved but often festive affair, according to Gaylinn.<\/p>\n Utilities typically deliver their samples in sealed, dark-colored, one-liter glass bottles stored in a cooler, Gaylinn said. He receives them, removes any \u201cidentifiable labels,\u201d and assigns a number to each one so the competition can be judged blind.<\/p>\n Judges include a member of AWWA\u2019s aesthetic and perceptions committee, a representative from a sponsoring organization (this year, it\u2019s the consulting firm WSP), and a water sommelier \u2014 which is apparently a thing<\/a>.<\/p>\n AWWA doesn\u2019t specify what constitutes winning water, Gaylinn said, instead leaving it up to the judges to decide what factors to consider in their grading. Organizers provide judges with saltine crackers to cleanse their palates between tastings.<\/p>\n The judges narrow the field to a few finalists, per Gaylinn, and then imbibe and score them again in front of a crowd as representatives from those providers talk about their history, treatment process, and source water.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a chance for these utilities to celebrate their hard work and highlight their high-quality product,\u201d Gaylinn said. \u201cThis is what they work for.\u201d<\/p>\n While You\u2019re Here<\/p>\n Spotlight PA\u2019s nonprofit reporting is a free public service, but it depends on your support. Give now to ensure it can continue.<\/p>\n Since 2013, the conference has also given out a \u201cPeople\u2019s Choice Award,\u201d which is determined by the 1-through-10 ratings of conference attendees who try three-ounce samples of each competitor\u2019s water.<\/p>\n![\"\u201cSave](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLThham4tYzNjNy1kMGRhLmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"\u201cSave")
The Chester Water Authority distributed \u201cSave CWA\u201d yard signs at its annual \u201cPublic Water Independence Day\u201d event on June 6, 2026.
\n(Asha Prihar \/ Spotlight PA)<\/p>\n![\"Water](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLThhanAtc2ZzNy1uN3ozLmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"Water")
The Chester Water Authority\u2019s treatment plant near Octoraro Reservoir in Lancaster County.
\n(Asha Prihar \/ Spotlight PA)<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLThhamstdmhjZy1tbXQzLmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"Two")
(Asha Prihar \/ Spotlight PA)<\/p>\n