Water Reuse Project of the Year
Parañaque New Water plant, Philippines
What is it?
A treatment plant taking treated effluent from the Parañaque Water Reclamation Facility and converting it into drinking water that meets the Philippines National Standards for Drinking Water – the first implementation of potable water reuse in the country. “New Water” was issued a Conditional Operating Permit in October 2022 and has since been delivering water to consumers.
Who is involved?
The New Water plant is owned and operated by Manila West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services. The treatment plant features ultrafiltration membranes supplied by DuPont, filter components from Odis and pumps from Grundfos and Victor Pumps, as well as dosing equipment from Grundfos and Prominent. ABB supplied a range of measurement and analytics components.
What makes it special?
Water scarcity crises arising from high demand in the Philippine capital, alongside heightening climate pressures led Maynilad to deliver the country’s first-ever direct potable reuse facility, providing a climate-independent, reliable and safe source of drinking water year-round. The plant successfully deploys media filtration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and chlorination treatment to achieve its ambitious water security goals.
Substantial information and education campaigns were carried out by the impassioned team at Maynilad to dispel public concern over potable reuse, including taste tests to demonstrate the product’s palatability. These led to strong acceptance from consumers and key stakeholders for the safe and sustainable source.
This pioneering project faced a barrier due to a lack of potable reuse regulation in the Philippines. Through collaborative efforts with regulatory bodies, however, the team achieved conditional operational permit from the Philippine Department of Health, by following the World Health Organisation’s guidelines on water reuse. The project’s success paves the way for future potable reuse projects in the country and region.
Distinction
Mandai Wildlife Park, Singapore
What is it?
An SGD70 million ($52 million) revamp of wastewater treatment at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve in Singapore. Two dedicated animal wastewater treatment plants (DAWTPs), with capacities of 1,500m3/d and 2,300 m3/d, are taking wildlife into the water cycle by treating and recycling animal waste into high-quality water for non-potable reuse.
Who is involved?
Mandai Park Development was the client for the project, with Binnies Singapore serving as special consultant to develop the preliminary design and equipment specification. Ace Water acts as the mechanical and electrical contractor and is providing 18 months of O&M and training, after which Mandai Park Development staff will take over. The MBR system was supplied by DuPont, while Xylem was responsible for the UV disinfection system.
What makes it special?
At the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, the approach to water circularity is a proactive one which saw an existing facility replaced with sophisticated new technology that tackles the twin challenges of waste reduction and water reuse. The DAWTPs are expected to meet an impressive 21% of the precinct’s water needs in the long term.
This innovative project takes a first-of-its-kind multibarrier approach to animal wastewater treatment which combines coarse and fine (1mm) screening with membrane bioreactor (MBR), ultraviolet treatment technology and chlorine disinfection.
It builds on a successful pilot which validated the use of MBR within the ideal level of pathogen reduction, and the full-scale plants will continue to achieve stringent target effluent quality.