Marina Barrage wins US green award

Straits Times 8 May 09;

The Barrage was chosen because it provided 'a sustainable urban water solution for all'

THE Marina Barrage has received the top prize at a competition organised by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

The site, opened in November last year, beat 33 other entries for the Superior Achievement Award which was conferred on Wednesday in Washington DC.

The award honours the best in environmental engineering practices, innovation and economic efficiency.

The Barrage, which has already won two other international awards, was chosen because it provided 'a sustainable urban water solution for all', said the academy's president Debra Reinhart.

It is only the second project outside the United States to win the award in the last decade.

The Barrage, built to dam the Marina Channel, resulted in the creation of the Marina Reservoir - Singapore's 15th reservoir and the first in the downtown district.

It also controls flooding in nearby low-lying areas such as Chinatown and Little India.

Since last month, seawater has not been allowed into the reservoir, so that the water can be gradually desalted by dilution from rainwater. Once the desalting process is completed in about a year, the water will be ready to be processed into drinking water.

More than 250,000 people have visited the site so far, said the PUB, Singapore's national water agency, which manages the Barrage.