STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Take that, Poland Springs.

Who needs bottled water from Maine when your city's tap water earns top honors, as New York City's did Tuesday in a regional taste test held in Manhattan.

The contest, the New York State Regional Metro Tap Water Taste Test, took place in the Museum of Natural History and pitted the city's tap water against drinking water from Westchester, Orange, Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Museum visitors sampled tap water from the five suppliers and ranked them by taste, with New York City's tap water judged the best, according to a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announcement.

The city's water doesn't come from the city itself, it is delivered from a watershed, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains, as far as 125 miles north of the city.

"New York City tap water is recognized around the world for its taste and high quality,'' said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. "To ensure future generations continue to enjoy world class New York City tap water, we invest billions of dollars every year to protect our upstate reservoirs and upgrade our water supply system."

The city's tap water originates in rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells.

Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses in the five boroughs, according to the DEP. Once collected, the water is disinfected with chlorine and ultraviolet light, filtered, fluorinated and

Sapienza touted the city water as a healthy alternative to sugary sodas and soft drinks, and noted its affordability - priced at roughly one penny per gallon. "It is approximately 1,000 times less expensive than bottled water,'' the DEP announcement said.

It's also a key ingredient, separating the city's legendary pizzas and renowned bagels, pastries and breads from the rest.

The city's tap water will next compete in a statewide contest to be held at the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse Aug. 30.

The annual taste test competition is organized by the New York State Water and Wastewater Education and Outreach Committee.

The DEP manages the city's water supply, and provides more than 1 billion gallons of water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.6 million in New York City.

Drinking tap water does a service to the environment, the DEP said.

"The production of plastic water bottles for use in the United States uses 1.5 million barrels of oil a year -- enough to power 250,000 homes or 100,000 cars all year,'' the agency said.

The latest New York City Drinking Water Supply and Quality Report is available on the DEP website.