Most television and radio personalities have been asked to "judge" everything from beauty contests, dance contests and science projects, to name a few. One of the more interesting requests for me was being asked to assist in taste testing water. I vividly remember myself, the late Fran Spain and others determining the best tasting water for the region and the country as samples were collected from numerous locations around the United States. Every judge selected our Baton Rouge "tap" water as the best in taste and smell. A few years ago, Baton Rouge water was judged the second best water in the country. Many companies along the chemical corridor have now switched from tapping our aquifers to tapping the Mississippi River for industrial water needs. There remain a few plants that haven't conformed. Under the leadership of California's Governor, Jerry Brown, drastic measures were enacted in 2015 to conserve water there. Researchers determined that an easy solution is in their backyard. According to the Sacramento Bee, over a billion gallons of treated wastewater from 250 water recycling facilities, are unloaded into the Pacific Ocean each year. The treated wastewater is currently being recycled for irrigation, toilet flushing, and groundwater replenishment. The state's goal last year was to recycle 2.5 million acre feet of water by 2030. We may suffer through the heat, steam and pesky afternoon thundershowers but the fresh water we enjoy now, from our aquifers , is 2000 years old.