Alameda startup develops water bottle that kills germs in dirty water

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KGO) -- Americans spend billions of dollars a year on bottled water and unfortunately, many of those plastic bottles end up in landfills.

An East Bay startup is hoping its own bottle, may spell the end of bottled water altogether.

No matter how dirty and disgusting the water, what comes out is crystal clear. It even filters out what can't be seen.

"Basically, it takes out all bacteria and cysts from the water as the water's flowing through the filter into your mouth and as you drink," said Elliot Ganser, Liquidity commercial director.

The secret is in the cap. The startup Liquidity, calls it the Naked Filter and they make it in Alameda.

"It'll taste just as good as bottled water you buy at the store, so no need to buy the bottles, no need to waste all the plastic, no reason to throw all that stuff away,"

In fact, much of the bottled water in California comes from a plant in Hayward where Pepsi takes tap water from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir and filters it to make Aquafina.

Lisa Nash of the water advocacy group Blue Planet Network hopes greener alternatives like the water bottle catch on.

"We have access to some of the best water in the world," said Lisa Diaz Nash, Blue Planet Network executive director. "Hetch Hetchy water is continually seen to be among the cleanest highest quality."

The Naked Filter will be sold first in the United States, but soon after the company plans to release it in the developing world, in places where water filtration could be a matter of life or death.

For countries where electricity is scarce, the new filters work using only gravity. They're inexpensive compared to the alternative.

"There are big water trucks that come into small villages and charge people up to 25 percent of their monthly income for water," Nash said.

The small bottles, too, provide an opportunity in those countries.

"We're really targeting the bottle at children, school aged children ages 4 to 14 or so, who when they leave the home they don't have access to safe drinking water," Ganser said.

It means kids won't have to get friendly harmful bacteria like e coli or salmonella.

It also filters giardia, a relief for hikers and campers. They're pre-selling the bottle for $25, including some spare filters, which last a few months each. It will ship in July.