Frequently Asked Questions

NEW WATER is the potable water supply that is produced after used water from households passes through Maynilad’s rigorous treatment process to become drinkable.

Maynilad is moving towards potable water reuse in a bid to boost available supplies given the growing demand for water, as well as the strain on existing raw water sources due to the impact of climate change.

It refers to the recycling of used water for drinking purposes.

Used water from households is typically collected, cleaned in Sewage Treatment Plants (STP), and discharged into receiving bodies of water. But with potable reuse, this “treated used water” discharged by STPs is not released into rivers or creeks; rather, it goes through a second treatment plant for a more rigorous purification process.

The output of this process is NEW WATER, which can be used for drinking as it already passes the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSWD).

Maynilad has been looking into potable water reuse since 2019 when a water crisis affected Metro Manila and reinforced the fact that we cannot rely solely on Angat Dam. This is also why Maynilad has been tapping alternative sources, such as Laguna Lake.

Tapping used water as a supply source will further expand our options, especially when existing sources are compromised by drought or typhoons. Hence, it will help to enhance water security, reliability and sustainability.

Drinkable water is a limited resource. With the growing population’s increasing demand for water plus the strain on existing sources due to pollution and climate change effects, there is a need to consider using previously untapped sources—including treated used water—to augment available supplies for drinking. It will also help reduce over-reliance on existing sources like the Angat Dam and Laguna Lake, which can be affected by droughts or typhoons that, in turn, affect the availability of water supply.

By including treated used water to the list of alternative raw water source options, Maynilad will have enhanced capability to produce more water whenever existing supplies run short.

Reusing water helps to conserve resources (e.g., energy and chemicals) since the process of extraction, treatment and disposal is minimized. Tapping reused water will also reduce reliance on deep wells for alternative supply, which will ultimately help with the replenishment of groundwater systems, thus avoiding land subsidence and saltwater intrusion in underground aquifers.

Recycling and reuse are central to a circular economy approach, which involves maximizing resources to address crises on climate, biodiversity and pollution.

The used water that Maynilad collects from households passes through its STPs where it undergoes a series of treatment processes (e.g., Screening, Aeration, Biological Nutrient Removal, Sedimentation, Ultraviolet Disinfection, etc.). The resulting “treated used water”—which meets the General Effluent Standards of 2021 set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)—will not be discharged to nearby rivers and creeks. Instead, it will be stored in a tank and put through Maynilad’s NEW WATER Treatment Plant.

The  NEW WATER Treatment Plant uses advanced physical and chemical treatment technologies to convert the treated used water from STPs to NEW WATER. Its treatment processes include Pressurized Media Filtration, Ultrafiltration, Reverse Osmosis, and Chlorine Disinfection. Treated used water that passes through this purification process is converted into water supply that meets the 2017 Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW).

The NEW WATER will thereafter be fed into the distribution system where it will blend with the standard drinking water produced by Maynilad’s La Mesa Treatment Plants.

It is also possible to draw water directly from rivers and treat that supply for drinking. However, purifying the treated used water from STPs makes more economic sense.

Most rivers receive not only treated discharges from STPs. Effluents from various sources—including industrial waste, garbage secretions, untreated runoffs, etc.—end up flowing into rivers, affecting the actual quality of the raw water. Since every unchecked discharge into the river will affect its raw water quality, using the river directly as source of drinking water will make the treatment process more difficult. The treatment plant would have to constantly adjust its process to remove any new pollutant that affects the river’s water quality. So while the treatment plant can still produce PNSDW-compliant supply, the volume output may be considerably reduced as a consequence.

In contrast, the treated used water that STPs produce consistently meets the General Effluent Standards of 2021 set by the DENR. The quality parameters are controlled and less variable compared to river water. Treating this supply to higher PNSDW standards would be easier, enabling the treatment plant to maintain consistent volume output.

Yes. Used water from households goes through a rigorous treatment process in STPs, and is again subjected to higher purification processes for full conversion to potable form. Maynilad’s NEW WATER Treatment Plant is equipped with advanced treatment technologies that can purify raw water from any source, making it compliant with PNSDW, which is among the more stringent drinking water standards in the world.

Maynilad partnered with the local health offices of several local government units, as well as with the relevant government agencies such as the Department of Health (DOH) and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), to ensure that the output of its NEW WATER Treatment Plant passes the Potability Test and is therefore fit for human consumption.

NEW WATER is subject to the same strict regulations, monitoring, and assessments as standard drinking water sourced from Angat Dam and Laguna Lake.

Maynilad would be the first in the Philippines to do so. However, converting used water to potable supply is already being done in other countries. Namibia, South Africa, and portions of the United States implement “direct potable reuse”, similar to what Maynilad intends to do. Other countries such as Belgium, Singapore, United Kingdom, Australia, and some parts of the U.S. adopt “indirect potable reuse” through groundwater recharge and surface water augmentation.

Specifically, Maynilad benchmarked with Namibia and Singapore before its move to tap treated used water for drinking. Namibia is the pioneer in developing potable supply from reused water, having done this initiative since 1968. Its Windhoek City is currently getting 24% of its drinking water from this source. Singapore—an island city state with little water supply—produces NEWater to meet water demand. NEWater now supplies around 40% of its drinkable and non-drinkable water.

Maynilad has been conducting a series of social acceptability tests and public consultations involving residential and commercial customers, local government units, and government agencies including the DOH, DENR, MWSS, and National Water Resources Board (NWRB). This is to ensure that NEW WATER will be acceptable to consumers. Based on the results of our initial social acceptability test, residential and commercial customers of Maynilad have expressed willingness to use NEW WATER after seeing the product water and understanding the idea behind it. 

Below are the comparative quality parameters. This data shows that Maynilad’s NEW WATER meets requirements set by the PNSDW and is comparable with the drinking water supply produced by the LMTP.

On October 26, 2022, Maynilad started piped-in distribution of NEW WATER to Brgys. San Dionisio and San Isidro in Parañaque City following its receipt last October 24, 2022 of a Conditional Operational Permit from the Department of Health – Metro Manila Center for Health Development to operate its NEW WATER facility for one year.

Since treated used water is a reliable raw water source, and Maynilad has the technology to convert it to PNSDW-compliant supply, it will eventually form part of the company’s alternative raw water sources.

There will be no impact on the customers’ current water bill. Whatever the raw water source—be it Angat Dam, Laguna Lake, or treated used water—the standard water tariff rates will apply.