Greenwater Services Pilot Achieves 91.5% Reduction In Total Coliform Bacteria In Tijuana River Project

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Greenwater Services, a water technology company, announced that its five-week pilot project on the Tijuana River achieved an average 91.5% reduction in total coliform bacteria on treatment days, significantly exceeding the project's initial 15-20% performance objectives. The pilot, facilitated and overseen by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), was funded at $1.1M and conducted late last year along the flood control plain west of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why it matters

The Tijuana River flows north into San Diego County before emptying into the Pacific Ocean near Imperial Beach and has long faced water quality challenges caused by untreated wastewater, stormwater runoff, and industrial discharge. This pilot demonstrates that meaningful progress is possible even in waterways long considered too challenging to remediate.

The details

Greenwater deployed four units of its patented Nano Bubble Ozone Technology (NBOT) during the pilot. The system is designed to reduce harmful bacteria and pathogens in water without releasing ozone into the atmosphere or harming marine ecosystems. Significant volumes of plastic and debris in the river required limiting operations primarily to daylight hours when flow was lower to reduce clogging risk. Even with this constrained operating window, the system substantially outperformed expectations.

• The pilot was conducted late last year.
• The pilot project lasted five weeks.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Following the pilot, Greenwater submitted a comprehensive report to the IBWC outlining recommendations for expanded deployment, including additional units, debris pre-filtration, and continuous treatment capability.