WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Most people thinking of end-of-life arrangements have faced a choice: traditional burial or flame cremation?
But there is a third option, and it's being used locally in Palm Beach County.
It’s called water cremation, or alkaline hydrolysis, relying on water rather than flames.
Gentle Water Cremation in Mangonia Park began offering the choice in January. It is currently the only place in Florida offering water cremation. The process is promoted as a more environmentally-friendly form of disposition. It gives families a newer, cleaner way to take home ashes after a loved one passes.
Thomas Trowbridge was one of the first people to be cremated at Gentle Water using this new process. His love for the water was one of the reasons Trowbridge decided before he died that he wanted a water cremation.
“He was a crusty sailor man,” said Katherine Coe, Trowbridge’s friend. “He was married to his boat. I just think he felt like having a water cremation would be putting himself back into the water.”
Water cremation relies on pressure, heated water, and alkaline chemicals, such as potassium hydroxide, to break down the body over five to seven hours.
Skeletal remains and medical implants, like pacemakers or a hip joint, are retrieved. The remains are then dried and pulverized.
“We’re capturing about 20% more remains because it’s a more gentle and contained process,” said Holly Sutton, the managing funeral director at Gentle Water Cremation.
According to the Cremation Association of North America, there is no tissue or DNA left when complete. The liquid is sterile and is released via a drain to the local wastewater treatment authority in accordance with federal, state or provincial, and local laws/ the pH of the water, they said, is brought up to at least 11 before it is discharged.
Water cremation is legal in more than half of the states and several provinces, and several more have legislation pending, according to CANA. It is legal in Florida.
The association said some people choose water cremation instead of traditional flame-based cremation because it is viewed as a gentler process and more environmentally friendly. They say it uses significantly less fuel and has an overall lower carbon footprint than both traditional cremation and burial.
Dr. Georgina Robinson, a postdoctoral research associate at Durham University, completed a thesis on the process of alkaline hydrolysis. She said the process protects the environment, using a fraction of the energy of the alternative.
“Largely it has been shown to be better,” said Robinson. “There are no airborne emissions from the alkaline hydrolysis process. The energy use required for an alkaline hydrolysis process compared with cremation is also significantly lower. Cremation is notoriously bad for releasing toxic mercury and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere and this process completely avoids that.”
Robinson said the process “essentially mimics what would happen underground during burial but just speeds up through the technology” and is better for the planet.
“When it comes to comparing with burial, it’s all about what we’re putting inside the ground, and often it’s not just the body itself, it’s the coffin materials,” said Robinson.
Although water cremation does rely on more water, Steve Pomerantz, co-owner of Gentle Water, said “it’s less than the average American family goes through in a single day”.
Pomerantz also said he and others of his Jewish faith may feel more comfortable with the process of water cremation than with flame cremation because “flame cremation evokes memories of the Holocaust”.
He said he wants people to know this is just another alternative.
“We want people to have lots of options,” said Pomerantz. “We’re not trying to push everyone into making the choice to using water cremations so giving them this other option we think is important for people to have more choice.”
Brandon Wilkinson traveled from Clearwater to have his late wife, Johanna, undergo the process after she lost her battle to ovarian cancer in April.
“Johanna had always had a deep relationship with nature, especially water too,” said Wilkinson. “This was absolutely a no brainer. As soon as we heard that your body could leave this world via water, it was just perfect.”
Wilkinson said it was Johanna who decided on the process. He said he is now considering a water cremation for himself, as he also spends a lot of time by the ocean surfing.
“When I’m out there in the water, I look down at my hands in the water and I really feel connected with Johanna still,” said Wilkinson.
Cremation is the most popular method of disposition in the U.S., used in 60.5% of services, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. Water cremation has also been found to be less expensive than flame cremation and burials. The national median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial in 2023 was $8,300, while the median cost of a funeral with cremation was about $6,280, the association reported. At Gentle Water, the process costs about $3,000. Also, 60% of people surveyed last year said they would be interested in exploring “green” funeral options because of their potential environmental benefits, cost savings or for some other reason, up from 55.7% in 2021, according to the trade organization.
