​Town of Colome Ties for Second Place at Great American Water Taste Test

The Town of Colome, South Dakota, tied for second place at the 27th Annual Great American Water Taste Test, held on February 4, 2026, during the 2026 Rural Water Rally in Washington, D.C. The competition featured 41 drinking water samples from across the United States.

Results of the national competition were as follows: First: City of Clinton, North Carolina. Second: City of Colome, South Dakota, and Grand Targhee Resort, Wyoming. Third: Boothbay Region Water District, Maine, and Harmony Farms, Utah.

Colome is a small town in Tripp County, south-central South Dakota. The municipal water system serves fewer than 300 customers and produces an average of 22,000 gallons per day. The town’s drinking water is sourced from groundwater produced from local wells and is managed by Utility Manager Casey Harter.
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The Great American Water Taste Test is held annually in conjunction with the National Rural Water Association’s Rural Water Rally and highlights excellence in drinking water from rural and small community systems across the country. The water samples were evaluated by a panel of judges that included Nick Seelinger, Professional Staff Member for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Josh Stull, Professional Staff Member for the House Committee on Agriculture; and Michael Pape, Chief of Staff for the Rural Utilities Service.