Newater Visitor Centre in Bedok to close from July 31
National water agency PUB said the Newater Visitor Centre in Bedok will be closing its doors on July 31, after more than two decades of educating the public about water sustainability and welcoming more than 1.7 million local and international visitors.
Officially opened in February 2003, following the completion of the first Newater plants in Bedok and Kranji, the centre offered the public a way to learn about the ultra-clean, high-grade recycled water through interactive displays, tours, exhibits and workshops.
The adjacent Bedok Newater factory, the oldest Newater production plant launched in the same year, will also cease operations on July 31 upon reaching the end of its operational lifespan, said PUB on June 24.
As part of a guided tour at the Newater Visitor Centre, visitors could observe the process of Newater production at a viewing gallery in the adjoining factory.
The Bedok factory will be replaced by a third Newater factory at the Changi Water Reclamation Plant, slated for completion in 2026.
At its advent, Newater was hailed as a breakthrough that would help Singapore gain water self-sufficiency.
It is one of the four national taps – along with local catchments, imported water and desalinated water – that maintain a sustainable and diversified water supply.
PUB is in the midst of transitioning to a new used water management system, where used water will be transported to three water reclamation plants in the northern, western and eastern regions in Singapore via a 206km-long network of deep tunnels.
PUB’s Newater factories will eventually be consolidated at the three water reclamation plants in Changi, the upcoming Tuas plant which is expected to be completed in 2026 and the redeveloped Kranji plant to be completed around 2035.
Newater is primarily used for non-potable industrial and air-conditioning cooling purposes at wafer fabrication plants, industrial estates and commercial buildings.
During dry periods, Newater is added to Singapore’s reservoirs to supplement Singapore’s potable water supply. The water is then treated at waterworks here before it is supplied for domestic use.
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