U.S. Water News Online
SINGAPORE -- A factory that turns sewage into drinking water is being promoted as Singapore's latest tourist attraction, local media reported.
The government launched an aggressive campaign last year to prepare Singaporeans for waste water that is processed so that it is again clean enough to drink, a product dubbed ``Newater.''
This February, the country started replenishing about 1 percent of its total daily water consumption with the reclaimed waste water.
Keen to share its Newater success with the rest of the world, Singapore's Public Utilities Board has printed glossy brochures about the Newater plant, which will be distributed at hotels, tour agencies and other tourist attractions, the Straits Times daily said.
The utility board was not immediately available for comment.
This resource-scarce city-state now buys more than half of its water from neighboring Malaysia under decades-old treaties, which start expiring in 2011. The water trade has sparked occasional spats between the two nations over pricing and other issues.
The government hopes that Newater will help Singapore eventually become self-sufficient when it comes to water.
Visitors to the plant view video presentations on how Newater is treated, and take a free hour-long guided tour where they learn about Singapore's quest for alternative water supplies, according to the center's Web site.
Tourists are not shown the actual process of sewage being transformed into Newater, but they do get to take home a freshly produced bottle, the Straits Times said.
The tour also features an artistic cascade of water, dubbed the ``Newater Falls,'' the Web site said.
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