By Lim, Jean written on 06-Aug-2009
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

NEWater is a term coined by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) for high-grade reclaimed water that has been purified with advanced membrane and ultraviolet technologies. NEWater is ultra-clean; it has passed more than 30,000 scientific tests and surpasses the World Health Organization's requirements for safe drinking water. It is the third "tap" in the "Four National Taps" strategy to provide Singapore with a sustainable and diversified supply of water. The other three taps are water from local catchments, imported water from Malaysia and desalinated water. NEWater is expected to meet 40% of Singapore's water needs by 2020.

History
The use of water reclamation to supplement the existing water supply was considered as early as the 1970s by PUB engineers. The first master plan for water reclamation was drafted in 1972 and the first experimental water reclamation plant was built in 1974 in Jurong. However the plant was decommissioned a year later, as the water treatment technologies then were too expensive and unreliable.

The project was revived when PUB and the then Ministry of the Environment (ENV), now called the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, initiated the Singapore Water Reclamation Study (NEWater Study) in 1998. The study showed that the reliability of water treatment technologies had improved greatly and production costs had declined since the 1970s. This led to the opening of the prototype NEWater plant at the Bedok water reclamation plant in May 2000.

A comprehensive study of NEWater was conducted from 2000 to 2002 and an independent expert panel was formed to provide advice on the study and to evaluate and make recommendations on the results of the study. The panel concluded that NEWater was safe for potable use but recommended a procedure known as planned indirect potable use, or planned IPU, instead of directly supplying NEWater for potable use. Planned IPU involves blending NEWater with raw reservoir water, and then subjecting the blended water to the same conventional water treatment process as raw reservoir water to produce potable water. There were three reasons for doing this: first, the process would re-introduce trace minerals that had been removed during the production of NEWater; second, reservoir storage would provide additional safety beyond the advanced technologies used to produce NEWater; and third, it would make it easier for NEWater to gain public acceptance.

The first NEWater plants at the Bedok and Kranji water reclamation plants were commissioned at the end of 2002 and officially opened in February 2003. The NEWater visitor centre was also officially opened that month to provide a venue to introduce NEWater to the public in a fun-filled and educational way. The third NEWater plant, located at the Seletar water reclamation plant, was commissioned in January 2004 and officially opened in June 2004.

In March 2007, the fourth NEWater plant was opened in Ulu Pandan. Unlike the earlier facilities, this was the first to be designed, built, owned and operated (DBOO) by the private sector. Designed and built by Keppel Seghers, it will supply 32 million gallons per day (mgd) of NEWater for a period of 20 years. In January 2008, PUB awarded the contract for the fifth and largest NEWater plant to Sembcorp Industries under the DBOO model. Officially opened in May 2010, this plant in Changi has a production capacity of 50mgd.

Uses of NEWater
NEWater is supplied mainly for non-potable industrial and commercial uses in wafer fabrication plants, electronics factories and power generation plants. It is also used in the air-conditioning cooling systems of commercial and institutional complexes.

In addition, NEWater supplements Singapore's potable water supply via IPU. In February 2003, PUB started pumping 2mgd of NEWater into reservoirs for indirect potable use. It aims to increase this progressively to 10mgd or an estimated 2.5% of total potable water consumption by 2011.

NEWater production process
NEWater is the product of a water reclamation process that puts used water through four barriers to become clean water again.

First barrier: Conventional water treatment
The first barrier is the conventional water treatment process where used water is treated to globally recognised standards.

Second barrier: Microfiltration
Microfiltration is the second barrier and the first stage of the NEWater production process. It involves using membranes to filter out suspended solids, colloidal particles, disease-causing bacteria, some viruses and protozoan cysts. The water after microfiltration contains only dissolved salts and organic molecules.

Third barrier: Reverse osmosis
The next barrier is reverse osmosis, also the second stage of the NEWater production process. Here, a semi-permeable membrane traps bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, dissolved salts, disinfection by-products, aromatic hydrocarbons and pesticides. Only very small molecules like water molecules can pass through this membrane to reach the next stage of the process.

Fourth barrier: Ultraviolet disinfection
After reverse osmosis, the water is already ultra-clean. But as an added safety back-up, ultraviolet disinfection is carried out to ensure that any residual micro-organisms are inactivated. This is the third and final stage of the NEWater production process. Chemicals that restore the water's pH balance are then added before the NEWater is deemed ready for use.

Timeline
1998 : PUB and ENV initiated the Singapore Water Reclamation Study (NEWater Study).
May 2000 : NEWater demonstration plant was opened at the Bedok water reclamation plant.
Aug 2002 : NEWater made its public debut at the National Day Parade.
Feb 2003 : Bedok and Kranji NEWater plants and the NEWater visitor centre were officially opened.
Jun 2004 : Third NEWater factory at Seletar water reclamation plant was officially opened.
Mar 2007 : Ulu Pandan NEWater plant was officially opened.
Jan 2008 : Contract for the fifth NEWater plant in Changi was awarded to Sembcorp Industries.
May 2010 : Changi NEWater plant was officially opened.



Author
Jean Lim



References
Hooi, J. (2010, May 4). NEWater will meet 40% of demand by 2020: SM Goh. The Business Times. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from OneSource database.

Kaur, S., & Hooi, A. (2003, February 22). New water is reborn. The Straits Times. Retrieved on February 8, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Ong, M. A. (2005). Towards environmental sustainability: State of the environment 2005 report (pp.19-23). Singapore: Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
(Call no.: RSING 363.72095957 ONG)

Peh, S. H. (2007, April 7). Liquid asset. The Straits Times, Saturday Special Report. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from Factiva database.

Phan, M. (2007, March 16). NEWater on target even as 4th plant opens. The Business Times. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from Factiva database.

Phan, M. (2008, January 19). Sembcorp bags $180m NEWater plant contract. The Business Times. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from Factiva database.

PUB. (n.d.). NEWater: Overview. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www.pub.gov.sg/newater/Pages/default.aspx

PUB. (n.d.). NEWater. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/Pages/NEWater.aspx

PUB. (2002). Singapore water reclamation study: Expert panel review and findings. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www.pub.gov.sg/newater/AboutNEWater/Documents/review.pdf

PUB. (2008). Annual report 2007/2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www.pub.gov.sg/pureannual2008/index.html

Tan, Y. S., Lee, T. J., & Tan, K. (c2009). Clean, green and blue: Singapore's journey towards environmental and water sustainability (pp.141-154). Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.
(Call no.: RSING 363.70095957 TAN)

Third NEWater factory opens in Seletar. (2004, June 18). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved June 3, 2009, from Factiva database.

Tortajada, C. (2006). Water management in Singapore. Oxfordshire: Routledge. (Reprinted from International journal of water resources development, vol. 22, no. 2, pp.227-240, June 2006).
(Call no.: RSING 333.91095957 TOR)


Further readings
Kog, Y. C., Lim, I. F. J., & Long, J. S. R. (2002). Beyond vulnerability? Water in Singapore-Malaysia relations. (pp.122-125). Singapore: Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies; Nanyang Technological University.
(Call no.: RSING 363.61095957 KOG)

Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. (2006). The Singapore green plan 2012 (2006 ed.) (pp.8-10). Singapore: Author.
(Call no.: RSING 363.70095957 SIN)

Nathan, D. (2002, July 20). Newater: It's mind over matter. The Straits Times. Retrieved on February 8, 2011, from NewspaperSG.



The information in this article is valid as at 2010 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.