Kilpauk Water Treatment Plant was established in the year 1914 for distributing treated water to the residents of Chennai City. Later rapid sand gravity filter process unit was constructed to improve the treatment capacity to 270 MLD.

Poondi, Cholavaram and Redhills lakes are the three main surface water sources for drawal, treatment and distribution to Chennai City at Kilpauk. Water Treatment Plant. The total storage capacity of all three lakes is 7412 MCFT.

Kilpauk WTP receives raw water from the terminal reservoir Redhills through closed conduits. Pre chlorination is given for the raw water for disinfection. The treated water from the Filter house is conveyed to the Under Ground Tanks. After post chlorination the treated water is pumped to city water supply by operating high velocity pumpsets through three Nos. of pumping main.

At present the total Sewage Treatment Plant capacity available in Chennai City is 486 MLD. About 95 MLD of sewage generated in Zone III, areas such as T.Nagar, Kodambakkam, Anna Nagar, Arumbakkam, Virugambakkam, Saligramam, Koyambedu and Mogappair East & West is treated in this Koyambedu Sewage Treatment Plants (34+60 MLD).60 MLD capacity Sewage treatment plant with Activated sludge process (ASP) and with power generation was constructed in the year 2005 and is being maintained.

The power produced by the gas engine using the Methane content of bio-gas as fuel is used for running the drives of the Sewage Treatment Plant. Moreover because of the usage of bio-gas, it helps global warming reduction by reduction in emission of Green House Gas to the atmosphere. This will also helps to apply to UNFCCC for Carbon Credit under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The average power generated per day is 6,000 units which is about 80% of the total requirement. The energy savings at Rs.4/- per unit works out to Rs.7.20 lakhs per month i.e. Rs.86.40 lakhs per annum, so far cost of power saved upto date in this Plant is Rs.380 lakhs. An amount of Rs.23/- Crores has been saved as power cost through gas engines from August 2005 till date in the four existing STPs.

The treated effluent is discharged into Coovum river as per the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board norms.

Hon’ble Minister for Rural Development and Hon’ble Minister for Information inspected the Koyambedu STP today. Hon’ble Ministers suggested that as huge quantities of plastic materials are being removed in the STP, the general public should be educated by suitable means not to put the non bio degradable matter into the sewers.

Hon’ble Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development Thiru K.P. Munusamy and Hon’ble Minister for Information Thiru G. Senthamizhan have inspected the Koyambedu Sewage Treatment Plant and Kilpauk Water Treatment Plant. Dr, K, Gopal, IAS, Managing Director, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Thiru N. Balaganga, Member of Parliament and other senior officials were accompanied with the Hon’ble Minister’s inspection.