No environmental impact from current Singapore desalination plant

Regular monitoring at new desalination plant
Letter from Tan Quee Hong Director Pollution Control Department National Environment Agency and Young Joo Chye Director, Policy and Planning PUB, the national water agency
Today Online 19 Feb 11;

The first desalination plant has been in operation for more than five years (since 2005) and monitoring has shown no environmental impact or change in seawater quality due to the desalination plant.

WE refer to the letter "Keeping abreast of green issues a must" (Feb 11).

The upcoming desalination plant at Tuas is the latest water supply infrastructure project carried out by the national water agency, PUB, under a Design, Build, Own Operate scheme, to expand Singapore's local water sources.

When completed, the plant will add another 70 imperial million gallons (or 318,500 cubic metres) of desalinated water a day to the nation's water supply.

Increasing the desalination capacity will further enhance resilience and reliability of Singapore's water supply.

The desalination plant will take in seawater to produce potable water using the reverse osmosis process.

After freshwater is drawn out, the concentrated residual seawater, which contains the natural components such as iron, suspended solids and boron, is returned to the sea.

At the outfall location, the diffusers of the desalination plant will ensure that the discharge stream is diluted to normal seawater levels after the 10m mixing zone.

The first desalination plant has been in operation for more than five years (since 2005) and monitoring has shown no environmental impact or change in seawater quality due to the desalination plant.

As with the existing desalination plant, the seawater quality around the new plant will be monitored regularly throughout the construction and operation of the upcoming desalination plant.