NEWater was first mooted by PUB in the 1970s. We were ahead of our time as the membranes then were costly and unreliable. In 1998, a NEWater study was successfully conducted to determine the suitability of using NEWater as a source of raw water to supplement Singapore’s water supply. In May 2000, the first NEWater plant was completed and by 2001, we had embarked on this new initiative that would increase water supply from unconventional sources for no-potable use.