The City of Minneapolis has reclaimed the title of Best Tasting Tap Water in Minnesota. In a competitive field of 15 entrants from across the state, the American Water Works Association’s Minnesota Chapter picked Minneapolis water as “Best in Glass” at their annual conference in Duluth.
“Turns out Minneapolis doesn’t just raise the bar -- we fill the glass.” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Winning ‘Best in Glass’ proves what we’ve known all along: our city delivers some of the cleanest, best-tasting water in Minnesota. Cheers to our City team for making sure every drop is award-worthy.”
Water samples from across the state were judged by approximately 117 conference attendees in a blind taste test. The top three water samples by popular vote were from the City of St. Cloud, the City of Shoreview, and the City of Minneapolis. The three crowd favorites joined the winner of the 2025 Minnesota State Fair Tap Water Taste Test, the City of Chaska, for the final taste test judged by a panel of water industry professionals. The City of Minneapolis will go on to compete in the International AWWA “Best in Glass” drinking water competition at the annual conference in Washington, DC in June 2026.
“Clean, safe, affordable, and delicious drinking water doesn’t happen by accident,” said Tim Sexton, City of Minneapolis Public Works Director “This award is a credit to the expertise and hard work of our talented Public Works Water team. Every one of them plays an important role in making our city better every day.”
The City of Minneapolis is fortunate to have access to a fantastic fresh water source in the Mississippi River. The City softens its water to remove hardness minerals and organic material from the water. The water is then filtered by biologically-active granular activated carbon or ultrafiltration membranes. Filtration, along with the addition of powdered activated carbon where needed, addresses tastes and odors and ensures a refreshing world class glass of water. To ensure Minneapolis water meets drinking water standards, water operators and lab chemists utilize an on-site laboratory to test the water 500 times per day.
Drinking tap water helps the environment by reducing plastic waste and is much cheaper than bottled water. For the cost of 1 bottle of water, you can fill 10 bathtubs with Minneapolis tap water.
“Water resources matter to all Minnesotans and the drinking water professionals in our state work with passion and dedication to deliver safe and high-quality drinking water to all the people we serve,” said Annika Bankston, Director of Water Treatment and Distribution Services – City of Minneapolis Public Works Department, “To have our peers and partners choose Minneapolis as the best tasting water in the state is truly an honor.”
Minneapolis last won Best Tasting Tap Water in Minnesota in 2023. The City of Minneapolis treats and delivers 57 million gallons of water every day, serving residents and business in Minneapolis, Bloomington, Columbia Heights, Crystal, Golden Valley, Hilltop, New Hope, as well as the U of M and MSP Airport. You can find more information about the City's water services on our website.