The same contractor hired to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. also worked on the Tijuana River, which flows into San Diego. Greenwater Services won a $2.5 million no-bid contract to test a water treatment method on the Tijuana River, which is polluted by sewage and industrial runoff from Mexico.
Treatment Method
The company used a method called “nanobubble” treatment, which involves firing aerosolized ozone into the water to purify it. According to Greenwater executives, the experiment in the Tijuana River eliminated 91.5 percent of potentially contaminating bacteria.
However, the experiment didn’t go perfectly. An October 2025 storm swept away the company’s equipment trailers, virtually ending the experiment. Despite this, Greenwater CEO Al George said the company has done research with Ohio State University and is in talks with the state of Florida to work on reducing nutrient levels in Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.
Contract Controversy
The company’s contract for the Tijuana River project has raised questions, as it was awarded without a bidding process. Additionally, the company’s ultimate owner, John J. Cafaro, is a donor to President Trump and a neighbor to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Original reporting: Voice of San Diego — read the source article.
