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"We have the best water in the country," Racine Mayor John Dickert said in explaining why his city will win the U.S. Conference of Mayors' "Best Tasting City Water" competition next month in Baltimore.

He describes the flavor of a tall, cold glass of Racine water as "crisp" and "natural." For that reason, he urged city workers and officials to remove bottled water from City Hall refrigerators when he became mayor in 2009.

Racine's drinking water was selected as one of five finalists from a field of 73 entries in preliminary competition earlier this month. The other finalists are: Albany, N.Y.; Denton, Texas; Rochester, N.Y.; and Pembroke Pines, Fla.

The last showdown is scheduled June 17-20 during the organization's annual meeting. The winner will receive a $15,000 cash prize.

Keith Haas said Racine's drinking water is 99.99999% pure and its exceptionally clear taste is always winning compliments. As general manager of the Racine Water and Wastewater Utilities, Haas displays the caution of an engineer when he gives his team a 1 in 5 chance of winning it all.

"I am honored, humbled and pleased that we have made it this far in the competition," he said.

Not that Haas isn't already spending the prize money.

"While I would love to say, 'We're going to Disney World,' that won't happen," Haas said.

"I'd like to buy a banner to celebrate our 125th anniversary" as a municipal water utility, he said.

Contest sponsor, American Water of New Jersey, said the award should be used to publicize the winning city's outstanding water quality and the steps taken to produce it. That is Dickert's plan.

The confident mayor says the prize will pay for a promotional campaign "to tout Racine and tell everybody to bring in tourism and business opportunities" that would be centered around the city's water resources.

Haas said the utility's dual filtration - water flows through a traditional sand filter before it is pushed through a membrane filter that traps even bacteria and viruses - does not affect taste and odor and would not explain Racine's success in the competition. He believes the biggest factor is that it is water from Lake Michigan.

One thing that worked in the utility's favor, however, was the springtime scheduling of the contest, he said. The still-cold waters of Lake Michigan haven't picked up tastes or odors from growth of algae and other bacteria that occurs some years by August, according to Haas.

Should an algae bloom begin imparting an unwanted musty taste to the water in late summer, he has another weapon in stock. The utility would turn on an activated charcoal system that would remove any offensive smells or tastes, Haas said.

He has never needed the charcoal system, however, and Haas denies turning it on just to further cleanse a couple of gallons of water for the contest.

Racine shipped two gallons of water, packed in ice, to the Conference of Mayors offices in Washington, D.C., for the preliminary competition. Each of the five finalists is required to send 10 gallons to Baltimore, and more than 200 mayors will participate in a blind taste test.

The competition highlights the significant nationwide achievement of providing clean, safe tap water to city residents, businesses and visitors, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

"American cities are world leaders in providing high-quality water to protect public health, plentiful water supplies for public safety and fire protection, and the water necessary to run the nation's economy," U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran said in a statement announcing the five finalists.