Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and OceanWell Pilot Innovative Subsea Water Farm Technology

OceanWell's fresh water harvesting system will be publicly tested in a reservoir to demonstrate its ability to produce safe, clean drinking water.

MENLO PARK, Calif., March 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- OceanWell, a water technology company, and Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) launched a first-of-its-kind pilot to showcase OceanWell's fresh water harvesting system. The pilot is the next step in OceanWell's and LVMWD's partnership, first announced in 2023, to prove the efficacy of OceanWell's proprietary submerged water filtration technology, and ultimately, provide a stable, scalable and climate-resilient source of water for a region that has been hard-hit by water shortages in recent years.

OceanWell is developing deep-sea water farms that harness natural hydrostatic pressure at depths in excess of 400 meters (1,300 feet) to drive a high-pressure water purification method called reverse osmosis. Each purification pod will harvest up to one million gallons of fresh water daily from the ocean, and the modular design allows for scalable projects based on demand. This technology produces ultra-clean water by filtering out salts, bacteria, viruses, pesticides, and PFAS, while its components are engineered for durability in harsh deep-sea environments. Unlike traditional industrial desalination which is energy-intensive and can harm marine life, OceanWell's technology reduces energy consumption by up to 40 percent while protecting marine life and eliminating toxic brine.

Testing the technology in a reservoir demonstrates the efficiency of the system's LifeSafe™ intake in highly bio-active conditions, which are more challenging than in the deep sea. This phased approach helps fine-tune each stage of the system, paving the way for reliable, scalable deployment in the ocean.

The pilot launch was held on March 21, 2025 at the Las Virgenes Reservoir in Westlake Village, California, where elected officials, water agencies, environmental organizations and more, were able to see an OceanWell pod submerged in the water, producing clean, drinkable water in real-time.

The next phase of testing, which has already received approval from the California Coastal Commission, is planned to take place in the ocean—marking a critical step from controlled reservoir conditions to real-world ocean deployment. This will further validate OceanWell's technology in its intended deep-sea environment and bring it closer to commercial readiness, signaling a major breakthrough for the water industry to bring new supplies to regions across the globe in a cost-effective and environmentally safe manner.

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"Access to abundant clean water is critical to the vitality of our communities," said Robert Bergstrom, CEO of OceanWell. "We're thrilled to have an opportunity to partner with Las Virgenes to take the first step in building climate-resilient water supplies in the U.S. and abroad. This will enable us to make significant progress towards commercial readiness and serving millions of people."

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"Through our partnership with OceanWell, we're incredibly excited to challenge the conventional thinking that ocean desalination and environmental stewardship cannot go hand-in-hand. We're uncompromising in our pursuit to develop a new supply of drought-resilient water, while protecting the natural environment that we love and cherish in California," said David Pedersen, General Manager of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.

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This milestone follows OceanWell's entry in XPRIZE's $119 million water scarcity competition, the largest ever prize competition designed to drive widespread access to clean water, and its $11 million Series A funding round, with participation from Kubota Corporation. OceanWell is supported by a working group of 25 municipal water agencies in California and aims to build 15 water farms across the globe in the next decade.

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About OceanWell
OceanWell has redesigned sourcing fresh water from the ocean into a clean, elegant solution that harvests affordable, abundant, fresh water. Its modular deep-sea water farm technology uses hydrostatic ocean pressure at depths of 400m+ to naturally power the reverse osmosis process and make fresh water. OceanWell will do this with vastly improved energy efficiency, limited brine outfall that helps protect marine life and no onshore plant. This eliminates the legacy technology burdens of high energy use, ecological impact, and a large industrial seaside facility. To learn more, visit oceanwellwater.com

Contact: oceanwell@berlinrosen.com

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