The plant turns brown and silty dam water into pure drinking water much faster during major storms.
As rain and floodwaters rush down from the hills into the dam they bring all sorts of sediment and debris with them, churning up the dam and turning the water brown and opaque. Water in that condition is more difficult to process than the usual, fairly clear, water taken from the dam.
In usual conditions, the old plant could process 15,000 cubic metres of water a day, but the new plant processes 22,000 cubic metres a day and handles quality water in a better way.