Wingoc, Namibia – Operating Treated Water Augmentation facility, the world’s first direct potable reuse, proudly serving the Namibian capital since 1968
The City of Windhoek in Namibia boasts the first and longest-running direct potable reuse history in the world; in October 1968 the first direct potable reuse plant was put in operation. The original plant was built in response to an over-abstraction of the natural groundwater resources, due to a significant increase in the population of Windhoek after World War II; and a drought period in the 1950s, which limited the volume of available surface water. Water rationing was introduced, and an Executive Commission identified that water reuse was an economical solution to support current and future needs. After extensive pilot test-work in 1962-65, the plant was built and producing water by late 1968.
When the first plant was commissioned in 1968, no national or international regulations or recommendations for direct potable reuse existed, therefore the City of Windhoek also led pioneering work in the establishment of regulations for direct potable reuse, based on hazard analysis and critical control points. The regulations were continuously assessed and updated. This resulted in by far stricter regulations (compared with national and international regulations and recommendations) and included defining critical control points throughout the process, not only for the final water.
This plant produced drinking water until 2001 and is now called the “Old Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant”, it was refurbished and repurposed, it now produces irrigation water.
Over the years the residents encouraged the City of Windhoek Council to expand the scheme. In 2001 the “New Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant” was constructed to increase the production of reclaimed drinking water and to introduce new processes like ozonation and biological activated carbon and ultra filtration. It runs a multi-barrier treatment process with continuous online monitoring throughout the process, every two seconds to the control room receives update information from the online instruments, where staff ensure that only drinking water of the required quality is sent to consumers. If any inconsistencies occur at any stage, the plant goes into recycle mode and distribution is halted until the correct values are restored. The whole production process takes around 24 hours and composite and grab samples are also taken every day to the city’s public service laboratory. Currently around 25% of the overall drinking water supply for the City is reclaimed water. Windhoek has a rapidly growing population of around 460,000, in one of the most arid countries of Southern Africa.
The New Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant has become a source of pride for a city that still leads the world in direct reclamation. In the over 50 years of operation the water has continued to meet standards at all times and public health has been protected. The 50-year anniversary was celebrated in 2018. One of the most famous sayings in the world of reuse comes from Lucas Van Vuuren, who designed the Goreangab facility: ‘Water should not be judged by its history, but by its quality.’
Windhoek Goreangab Operating Company – Our History
Reclaiming high quality water from wastewater
The Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant
The future of water
Windhoek in Namibia has been producing potable water from wastewater for 50 years
