Vital Lyfe Completes Field Demonstration of Decentralized Desalination System on Tierra Bomba, Colombia

TORRANCE, Calif., March 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Vital Lyfe, a water technology company focused on universal water filtration, today announced the successful completion of a multi-day field demonstration of its system on Tierra Bomba, a small island community off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia.

Conducted in partnership with local NGO Amigos Del Mar, the deployment evaluated the system's ability to produce treated water suitable for human consumption under real-world operating conditions, without backup infrastructure or controlled laboratory settings. Community members were present throughout installation and operation, observing and interacting with the system as it generated treated water directly from surrounding seawater.

Vital Lyfe's team deployed the decentralized desalination and purification system on-site alongside Amigos Del Mar staff. Residents observed the installation, system startup, and ongoing operation in real time. Approximately 40 families in the area surrounding the Amigos Del Mar community center observed or directly interacted with the demonstration.

"Tierra Bomba depends almost entirely on water delivered by boat, which is expensive, inconsistent, and often of questionable quality. During rough seas or high-demand seasons, many families are left without reliable access," said Pedro Salazar, President and Founder of Amigos Del Mar and on-the-ground coordinator for the demonstration. "Community members were very positive and impressed with the quality of the water. Local leaders see it as a real opportunity to reduce dependency on boat-delivered water. The system's simplicity, reliability, and ability to desalinate seawater affordably were the standout features. It's easy to operate and well-suited to island conditions."

When powered on, the system operated solely using local seawater as its source, without external water inputs or fallback systems. The demonstration was designed to assess performance, operability, and usability in a live environment rather than a simulated setting.

"It's incredibly exciting to get out into the field and see the hardware perform under real conditions," said Jon Criss, Founder and CEO of Vital Lyfe. "It's a reminder that the goal is to learn as much as possible from each deployment and keep getting better."

The Tierra Bomba field demonstration provided hands-on data and operational insights into how decentralized water systems perform outside controlled environments. By testing the system using real source water and engaging directly with community members, the program offered practical insight into deployment logistics, usability, and community integration.

Vital Lyfe views the demonstration as an early step in evaluating how low-cost, decentralized water technologies may support resilience in coastal and island communities facing infrastructure constraints.

A full video documenting the Tierra Bomba field demonstration, including installation and live operation, can be viewed here.

About Vital Lyfe

Vital Lyfe is a water technology company that builds scalable, portable desalination systems designed to increase global access to clean water. By combining advanced engineering, efficient manufacturing, and a mission driven approach, Vital Lyfe is working to redefine how fresh water is produced and distributed around the world.

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SOURCE Vital Lyfe