NEWater 1

NEWater
NEWater (Chinese: 新生水) is the brand name given to reclaimed
water produced by Singapore's Public Utilities Board. More
specifically, it is treated wastewater (sewage) that has been
purified using dual-membrane (via microfiltration and reverse
osmosis) and ultraviolet technologies, in addition to conventional
water treatment processes. The water is potable and is consumed
by humans, but is mostly used for industry requiring high purity
water.

History
Water recycling in Singapore began in 1974 but the experimental
treatment plant was closed a year later due to cost and reliability
issues. [1]
The Singapore Water Reclamation Study (NEWater Study) was
initiated in 1998 by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the
Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR). The
aim of this study was to determine if NEWater was a viable source
of raw water for Singapore's needs. NEWater and desalination Bottles of NEWater for distribution during the National
were explored as means to reduce reliance on water imported from Day Parade celebrations of 2005 at Marina South
Malaysia, which has been a source of friction over the years. Also,
while the Malaysian government is bound by two treaties to sell
Singapore water until 2011 and 2061, it is under no obligation to
do so after these dates.

In 2001, PUB began an effort to increase water supplies for

non-potable use. Using NEWater for these applications would
reduce the demand on the reservoirs for potable water.[2]

Production
Singapore has a total of five operational NEWater factories, at
Bedok, Kranji, Seletar, Ulu Pandan and a newly opened plant at The three old designs of the bottles of NEWater

Changi. The first two were commissioned at the end of 2002, the
Seletar plant in February 2004, and the Ulu Pandan plant on March, 2007. For educational purposes, there is a
Visitor Centre located within the NEWater factory in Bedok, near the Singapore Expo Tanah Merah MRT Station. [3]
Entrance into the Visitor Centre is free.
NEWater 2

Process
NEWater is the product from a multiple barrier water reclamation process:
• The first barrier is the conventional wastewater treatment process whereby the used water is treated in the Water
Reclamation Plants.
• The second barrier, and first stage of the NEWater production process, uses microfiltration/ultrafiltration to filter
out suspended solids, colloidal particles, disease-causing bacteria, some viruses and protozoan cysts. The filtered
water that goes through the membrane contains only dissolved salts and organic molecules.
• The third barrier, and second stage of the NEWater production process, utilizes reverse osmosis (RO). In RO, a
semi-permeable membrane filters out undesirable contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, nitrate,
chloride, sulphate, disinfection by-products, aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides that cannot pass through the
membrane. Hence, NEWater is free from viruses and bacteria and contains very low levels of salts and organic
matter. At this stage, the water is already of potable quality.
• The fourth barrier, and third stage of the NEWater production process, acts as safety precaution. UV disinfection
is used to ensure that all organisms are inactivated and the purity of the product water guaranteed. With the
addition of some alkaline chemicals to restore the pH balance, the NEWater is ready for use.

Applications
At present, the total capacity of the three factories is about 20 million US gallons per day (75,700 m³/day). About 6%
of this is used for indirect potable use, which contributes 1% of Singapore's potable water requirements of 300
million US gallons per day (13 m³/s). The rest of the water is used at wafer fabrication plants and other non-potable
applications in industries in Woodlands, Tampines, Pasir Ris, and Ang Mo Kio.

Potability
The quality of NEWater consistently exceeds the requirements set by USEPA and WHO guidelines and is, in fact,
cleaner than the other sources of Singapore's water.[4]
Plans are under way to increase the amount of NEWater in indirect potable use up to 3.5% by 2011.

References
[1] Water Management Issues in Singapore (http:/ / www. khmerstudies. org/ events/ Water/ Lee Nov 2005. pdf)
[2] History of NEWater (http:/ / www. pub. gov. sg/ about/ historyfuture/ Pages/ NEWater. aspx)
[3] NEWater Vistor Center (http:/ / www. pub. gov. sg/ newater/ visitors/ Pages/ default. aspx)
[4] Public Utilities Board, NEWater FAQ (http:/ / www. pub. gov. sg/ NEWater_files/ faq/ index. html), accessed 8 Jan 2007.

External links
• Official site (http://www.pub.gov.sg/NEWater/)
• Groundwater Replenishment System - Orange County, California (http://www.gwrsystem.com)
Article Sources and Contributors 3

Article Sources and Contributors

NEWater  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=420591726  Contributors: BD2412, Berlo84, Bobblewik, Bobstay, CFBancroft, Chelah, Deglr6328, Evil saltine, Fidellithy, Fredrik,
Hooperbloob, Huaiwei, Indon, Ixfd64, JaGa, JameiLei, La goutte de pluie, Laohero1901, LiquidMonster, LoneRifle, Lupo, Mcarling, Milnivri, Minimac, Nn123645, Pubwater, Quintote, Rada,
Rifleman 82, Sendhil, Sir Vicious, Sovietmole, Spiffy sperry, Superbeecat, Taestell, Tammymao, The Thing That Should Not Be, Unkx80, VK35, Vegaswikian, Velella, Vsion, Whkoh, 80
anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

Image:NEWater.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:NEWater.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: User:Huaiwei
Image:NEWater Old Bottles.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:NEWater_Old_Bottles.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors:
User:Milnivri

License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
http:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/