Singapore's latest waterfront icon, spanning the southern end of the Marina channel, took the Superior Achievement Award - the highest honour of the competition for the best project entry - at the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE)'s Excellence in Environmental Engineering competition.

It is the second project outside the US to have won the award in the last decade.

The competition is widely considered to be the most prestigious of professional, peer-recognition awards focused exclusively on the field with award defining the best in environmental engineering practices, such as innovation and economic efficiency.

Conceptualised and managed by PUB, the Barrage is more than a regular dam in that it fulfills three purposes:

- It boosts Singapore's water supply by being the 15th reservoir here and the first reservoir in the city centre.

- It acts as a tidal barrier to alleviate flooding in the low-lying parts of the city such as Chinatown and Little India.

-It is also set to become the city's latest lifestyle attraction with water activities and river cruises.

Other awards garnered by the Barrage in the last to years include the Grand Conceptor award at the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts' 2009 Engineering Excellence Awards and the Asean Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award.

'The Marina Barrage is a showcase of urban water sustainability. By going beyond water supply and flood control... it demonstrates how an urban water solution can be effectively utilised to meet water needs, and at the same time, enhance the living environment for a better quality of life,' said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, PUB's Director of 3P Network and Project Director of Marina Barrage, who received the award on behalf of PUB at an award presentation luncheon in Washington DC on Wednesday.

'This is important, as cities continue to grow and urbanise, they will require water solutions that can be sustained for generations to come.'