A process for separating out and removing water present in liquid fuels, especially water from diesel oil, wherein the fuel is conveyed in a line system (3, 9, 13) which serves to supply an internal combustion engine by means of a fuel delivery pump (12), water is separated out at a filter arrangement (5) which has a collecting space (27) for collecting water which has been separated out and which is connected upstream of the suction side (11) of the fuel delivery pump (12), such that its sucking action counteracts an outflow of water from the collecting space (27), and wherein, depending on the collection of a given amount of water, the sucking action of the delivery pump (12) is negated and an outlet valve disposed at an outflow orifice (37) of the collecting space (27) for removing water is opened, is characterized in that the sucking action which counteracts the outflow of water is negated by a discharge means (43; 53), by means of which a pressure gradient which enables the discharge of water can be generated at the outflow orifice (37) of the collecting space (27) over a discharge period and with the fuel delivery pump (12) running.