Plans For NEWater

Safe to use NEWater

Non-Potable Usage

Indirect Potable Usage

It is safe to use NEWater to supplement our water supply

NEWater is the high grade water produced after treated used water has been further purified using a 3-step process involving advanced membrane technologies like Microfiltration, Reverse Osmosis, and the final disinfection of the product water using ultraviolet light.

The multiple-barrier membrane treatment process has enabled PUB to produce consistently good quality NEWater.

With its consistently good quality and reliability in production, NEWater could be put to greater use in terms of being a source of non-potable water and for indirect potable use by blending it with reservoir water.

Non-Potable Uses of NEWater 

PUB's NEWater initiatives which began in 2001 to increase water supply from unconventional sources has produced    good outcomes. Substitution of PUB water with NEWater for non-potable use would free large amount of potable water for other potable purposes. Besides wafer fabrication processes, NEWater can also be used for non-potable applications in manufacturing processes and other industries as well as air-con cooling towers in commercial buildings.

The NEWater Factories at Bedok and Kranji Water Reclamation Plants was commissioned at the end of 2002. Following that since Feb 2003, NEWater has been supplied to wafer fabrication plants at Woodlands and Tampines/Pasir Ris and other industries for non-potable use. In Jan 2004, another milestone in the NEWater initiative was accomplished with the commissioning of the third NEWater Factory at Seletar Water Reclamation Plant which began supplying NEWater to the wafer fabrication plants at Ang Mo Kio. The total initial capacity of the three NEWater factories was 92,000 m3/day or 20 mgd.

In January 2008, PUB awarded the contract for the fifth and largest NEWater plant at Changi. With this addition, NEWater will meet 30% of Singapore’s current water needs by 2010 when the plant is ready.

Indirect Potable Usage

NEWater could also be used for indirect potable use by blending with reservoir water . This is nothing new. For over 20 years, several cities in the United States have mixed reclaimed water with reservoir water to supply households. Some of these places include Orange County, outside Los Angeles, Phoenix, Arizona and Fairfax County, north Virginia. In fact, many cities along major rivers in the world like River Rhine, Mississippi River, Yangtze River and Mekong River have also been practicing unplanned indirect potable use of reclaimed water, with upstream water users discharging treated used water into a water source that serves as a water supply for a downstream user. NEWater is also of drinking water standard.

PUB has received a report from the Panel of Experts studying the suitability of NEWater as a source of water to supplement our water supply. The Panel of Experts concluded that NEWater is consistently of high quality and well within the requirements of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) National Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Standards, and the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Drinking Water Guidelines. The Panel has endorsed NEWater as a safe and sustainable source of water and has supported its indirect potable use in Singapore through storing and mixing with the water in our reservoirs.

PUB has completed its evaluation of the Expert Panel's report and accepted the proposal to use NEWater for indirect potable use. This means mixing and blending NEWater with raw water in the reservoirs before undergoing conventional treatment at the waterworks for supply to the public for potable use. PUB has initially introduced 3 mgd of NEWater (about 1% of total daily water consumption) into our raw water reservoirs. The amount will be increased progressively to about 2.5% of total daily water consumption by 2011.