HAMILTON, Ohio – There is something in the water in Hamilton.

• Hamilton's tap water is a multiple award winner at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition
• Chlorine dioxide is used at the end of the treatment process to remove the smell and taste of chlorine
• Hamilton on Tap is the bottled version of the water

Specifically, it's chlorine dioxide – a mixture of chlorine gas and sodium chlorite.

A complex process that's added to the tap water at Hamilton's Water Treatment Plant on River Road in Fairfield.

Drawing water from the massive Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer the tap water that the city of Hamilton produces is multi-award winning. Since 2009, it's been named best in the world and best in the U.S. on multiple occasions at the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition.

It's also been named best in the state multiple times by the Ohio chapter of the American Water Works Association.

“When you compete with the best of the best, you know, and you win it really says something about your water system,” said John Bui, Hamilton Water Production Superintendent.

The process of adding chlorine dioxide is not a secret, or uncommon. But getting the mix of chlorine gas and sodium chlorite just right takes knowledge and analytics expertise.

“It's a more sophisticated disinfectant system that requires a lot of knowledge to manage the generator that produces chlorine dioxide.”

Chlorine dioxide cannot be purchased and transported on public roads, so the components have to made on site. The process helps eliminate the smell and taste of chlorine in the water, a common complaint about city water across the U.S.

Hamilton's water treatment plant can produce 40 million gallons of water per day. On average, it produces about 16 million gallons – eight for the city and eight for eastern Butler County. By 2026, according to Bui, all of Butler County will purchase its water from Hamilton. The additional service will push the plants daily output to between 24 and 26 million gallons per day.

Bui says the aquifer the plant sits above is a gold mine for water. Fairfield and the city of Cincinnati also have treatment plants that draw water from the aquifer.

The high-quality H20 is also good for business. Municipal Brew Works in downtown Hamilton is in its third year of operation. At capacity, head brewer and MBW co-founder Sean Willingham said expansion is in the near future, but only if they can use Hamilton's water.

“We're looking at doing a production facility, but it has to be on this water source,” Willingham told Spectrum News 1. “I want this water for my beer.”

Willingham said a lot of brewers have to use a process with their water source known as reverse osmosis. They also, sometimes, have to add salt to their beer to get the balance to make a solid product. But MBW doesn't have to do that.

He also said using any other water source would change the taste of his beer.

In 1991, MillerCoors opened a brewery in Trenton in eastern Butler County. The facility employs around 500 people and produces approximately 11 million barrels of a beer per year, according to the company's website. MillerCoors uses water from the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer - the same aquifer Hamilton pulls water from. 

Hamilton also bottles some of its tap water. Bui said last year the plant bottled 120,000 bottles. Some of its is sold to local hospitals, and used for special events, like weddings. The manual process is labor-intensive so the city doesn't use it as a major revenue source. Recently, 100 cases of Hamilton tap water were sent to tornado victims in Dayton.

Hamilton On Tap, the name affectionately given to the bottled water, has been sent to disaster areas all over the world, according to Bui.

Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting

2018 - 2^nd place for Best Municipal Water

2018 - 5th for Best Purified Water (Hamilton On Tap)

2018 - 3^rd Place for People's Choice for Best Purified Water (Hamilton On Tap)

2017 - 3^rd place for Best Municipal Water

2015 - 1^st place for Best Municipal Water

2014 - 2^nd place for Best Municipal Water

2013 - 5^th place for Best Purified Water (Hamilton On Tap)

2010 – Best in the World for Best Municipal Water

2009 – Best in the United States for Municipal Water

Several other Ohio cities have also won awards in the West Virginia-based Berkeley Springs competition, including: Montpelier, Kent, St. Henry, Sandusky, and Willoughby.