Gardnerville's water is best tasting in state

GARDNERVILLE - It's official.

The town of Gardnerville has the best tasting water in the state.

That was the opinion of the judge in the first Nevada Rural Water Association best- tasting-water contest held recently in Reno.

Gardnerville was one of 13 entries, beating out such contenders as Reno, Las Vegas and Carson City and will represent the state in May in a national contest in Washington, D.C.

"I always suspected we had the best tasting water in the state," said Larry Clendenen, general manager of the water company which serves 1,300 residential and commercial customers.

"We owe it all to Mother Nature and our crew."

Clendenen said the crew works hard to keep the pipes and tanks clean andprotect the system from contamination.

"We probably have the best crew in the state, too," he said.

The staff includes Clendenen, equipment operator Mark Lovelady, pump maintenance supervisor Jon Summers and office manager Karen Buchen.

The honor was awarded March 15 in Reno, according to Charlie Lawson, secretary of the association and contest coordinator.

"It's just a fun thing to emphasize that the water these systems are providing is as safe as any water you can get anywhere. It just tastes good," Lawson said.

Clendenen said when the contest came up, he directed the crew to take an average water sample and send it up to Reno for the judging. He'll follow the same procedure for the national contest.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the conference," Clendenen said. "It's coming up to our busiest time of the year and I can't take that kind of time away from the company, but I sure hope we win the national title."