NEWater (pronounced New-Water) is the brand name given to highly treated reclaimed wastewater produced by Singapore's Public Utilities Board.
NEWater is produced by further purifying conventionally treated wastewater through microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet radiation.
Subsequently, an experimental water reclamation treatment plant was built in 1974, but the operation was terminated after only one year due to costs and reliability issues.
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.
[12][13] A plant at Seletar, commissioned in February 2004, was closed in 2011,[14] as the PUB implemented its plan to centralize the treatment of used water, under the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System.
[18] There is a Visitor Centre in the NEWater factory in Bedok, near the Singapore Expo Tanah Merah MRT station.
The rest is used at wafer fabrication plants and other non-potable applications in industries in Woodlands, Tampines, Pasir Ris, and Ang Mo Kio.
[33] The quality of NEWater consistently exceeds the requirements set by USEPA and WHO guidelines and is cleaner than other water sources in Singapore.