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<!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE --Grey water recycling in Singapore began in 1974, but the experimental treatment plant was closed a year later because of costs and reliability issues.

In 1998, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) initiated the Singapore Water Reclamation Study (NEWater Study). The aim was to determine if NEWater was a viable source of raw water for Singapore's needs.

NEWater and desalination both were explored to reduce reliance on water imported from Malaysia, which has long been a source of friction between the Malaysian and Singapore governments.The Malaysian government is treaty bound to sell water to Singapore until 2061, but it has no obligation to do so after that date.[3] In 2001, PUB initiated efforts to increase water supplies for non-potable use. Using NEWater for these would help reduce the demand on the reservoirs for potable water.[4]

The PUB launched NEWater to the public in 2003, with the opening

of the
first two NEWater plants - the Bedok and Kranji plants - as well as the NEWater Visitor Centre.[5] In anticipation of the potential public concerns over the safety of recycled water, NEWater was carefully implemented. The PUB was cautious in its usage of terms, avoiding terms such as 'wastewater' or 'sewage' that carried a negative connotation.[6] Sewage treatment plants were renamed to 'water reclamation plants' and sewage or wastewater were referred to as 'used water'.[7] This contributed to a positive framing of NEWater, enhancing public acceptance of reused water. In addition, the government extensively engaged the public through exhibitions and advertisements to educate them about NEWater.[8] The NEWater Visitor Centre, which allows people to view the NEWater treatment process, was also opened to enhance visitors' understanding of how NEWater is produced.[9] These public engagement efforts were aimed at correcting any misunderstandings people might have towards recycled water and increasing public support for reused water.

NEWater refers to the high-grade reclaimed water that has been purified with advanced membrane and ultraviolet technologies. Having passed more than 150,000 scientific tests, and satisfying the World Health Organisation's requirements for safe drinking water, NEWater is said to be “ultra-clean and safe to drink”.1 It is the third "tap" in the "Four National Taps" strategy to provide Singapore with a sustainable and diversified supply of water.2 The other three taps are water from local catchments, imported water from Malaysia and desalinated water.3 NEWater is expected to meet 40 percent of Singapore's water needs by 2020, and is targeted to satisfy up to 55 percent of Singapore’s future water demand by 2060.4

== History == The Public Utilities Board (PUB) considered using water reclamation to supplement the existing water supply as early as the 1970s.5 The first Water Master Plan, which was drafted in 1972, outlined Singapore’s strategies for ensuring an adequate supply of water from local sources and proposed water reclamation and desalination as alternative sources.6 In 1974, the first experimental water reclamation plant was built in Jurong. However, the plant was decommissioned a year later as water treatment technologies then were too expensive and unreliable. 7

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 to determine if NEWater could be a viable source to supplement Singapore’s water supply.8 Two engineers from PUB were sent on a two-week trip to the United States to study the full range of water recycling methods, including the use of membrane technology.9 They found that the reliability of water treatment technologies had improved greatly and production costs had declined since the 1970s.10 This led to the opening of a prototype NEWater demonstration plant at the Bedok water reclamation plant in May 2000.11

A comprehensive study of NEWater was conducted from 2000 to 2002. Tests were carried out to ensure that the reclaimed water was well within World Health Organisation (WHO) Drinking Water Guidelines and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Drinking Water Standards.12 An independent expert panel comprising both local and foreign experts was formed to provide counsel on the study, and to evaluate and make recommendations on the results of the study.13 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.14 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.15

There were three reasons for doing this: firstly, the process would re-introduce trace minerals that had been removed during the production of NEWater; secondly, reservoir storage would provide the additional safeguard beyond the advanced technologies used to produce NEWater; and thirdly, it would make it easier for NEWater to gain public acceptance.16

Knowing that public acceptance was crucial in order for NEWater to be a viable source of water, PUB and ENV began an extensive public education exercise in 2002. Singapore-based reporters were brought to the United States and the United Kingdom to show them how recycled water had been used for drinking. Grassroots leaders and Members of Parliament were also invited to the NEWater demonstration plant in Bedok to better understand the NEWater production process. Impressed by how clear, odourless and clean the water was, they went on to help spread the message to the public.17 In a high-profile show of support during the 2002 National Day Parade, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong led 60,000 people in a toast to Singapore with NEWater.18

The first NEWater plants at the Bedok and Kranji water reclamation plants were completed in January 2003.19 The NEWater visitor centre in Bedok was officially opened the following month to provide a venue to introduce NEWater to the public in a fun-filled and educational way.20 The third NEWater plant, located at the Seletar water reclamation plant, was commissioned in January 2004, and officially unveiled five months later in June.21

March 2007 saw the opening of the fourth NEWater plant 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, the plant was envisaged to supply 32 million gallons per day (mgd) of NEWater for a period of 20 years.22 In January 2008, PUB awarded the contract for the fifth and largest NEWater plant to Sembcorp Industries under the DBOO model.23 Officially opened in May 2010, the plant in Changi has a production capacity of 50 mgd.24