His enthusiasm for the process stood out to Jan Coulter when she and her husband went to see the machine in July. Coulter’s 91-year-old aunt had just passed away at her home in Walnut Creek.

Water cremation received a sort of ‘PR boost’ in 2022 when anti-apartheid crusader Archbishop Desmond Tutu requested and underwent the process after he died at age 90.

Having invested $425,000 in the machine, Rivero is now trying to spread the word about the benefits of choosing aquamation over cremation. The cost starts around $3,750, according to the business ...

Water cremation machines work by pumping a heated alkaline fluid around a body for four to six hours, exponentially accelerating the natural decomposition process.

Some mourners view the water cremation process as gentler on the body, making it more favorable, Brown said. “Some people prefer water to fire,” Brown said. “Water is so spiritual.” ...

While the State of Maryland legalized water cremation in 2023, individual counties must opt in — and so far, only Baltimore ...

A zoning proposal would allow funeral homes and crematories to conduct alkaline hydrolysis, colloquially known as water ...

The Aquamation Pet 550 machine is set up using stuffed animals to show where former pets are placed separately from one another before the process begins at Water Bridge Aquamation in Denver on ...

Having invested $425,000 in the machine, Rivero is now trying to spread the word about the benefits of choosing aquamation over cremation. So far, he has conducted just 26 aquamations.

Rivero founded Pacific Interment in 1992, specializing in cremation at a time when the process was not widely used. In December of 2023, he installed his aquamation system, becoming the first to ...