Montgomery County Councilmember Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) says the process that occurs after people die should be more environmentally friendly.
That’s why she introduced a zoning text amendment (ZTA) this week that would change county zoning rules to allow licensed funeral homes and crematories to conduct alkaline hydrolysis, colloquially known as water cremation.
“This ZTA is basically a green way to die. Honestly, I know it’s a dark subject, but it’s life. We are going to die,” Fani-González said when introducing the bill during Tuesday’s council meeting in Rockville.
Alkaline hydrolysis is a process in which a decedent’s body is placed in a pressurized vessel containing water and an alkaline solution to decompose, according to a council staff report. It is considered by many sustainability experts and funerary professionals to be a more environmentally friendly way to handle the remains of a body after death.
According to the Cremation Association of North America, alkaline hydrolysis uses significantly less fuel and has an overall lower carbon footprint than traditional cremation or burial. It is also considered by some funerary professionals to be a “gentler” process than traditional cremation.
“We say that Montgomery County is an environmentally sustainable community that’s always leading the way,” Fani-González told the council. “Well, we’re going to do that once again with this. … I hope that everybody can learn more about this and consider this as part of their will at some point.”
While the practice is legal in the state, it has to be regulated by zoning codes that govern funeral homes. During the 2024 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation called the Green Death Care Options Act, which established requirements and prohibitions for water cremation facilities. The act also required the state Office of Cemetery Oversight and the state Board of Morticians & Funeral Directors to adopt regulations to govern these facilities.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Dist. 18), who represents parts of Silver Spring, Chevy Chase and Kensington, and went into effect Oct. 1. Fani-González’s bill is enabled by a provision in the legislation that allows jurisdictions to make zoning changes to allow funeral homes to conduct alkaline hydrolysis.
Fani-González said she’s spoken with local funeral home officials who say they are on board to begin offering the service if the proposed zoning change is approved.
“If we don’t pass this ZTA, then even though we have a state law that allows this, we can’t have it,” Fani-González said. “It needs to be clear in the code that this will be allowed, and that’s why we have this zoning text amendment.”
A public hearing on the ZTA is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. July 22 during the council’s regular business meeting in Rockville. A vote has not yet been scheduled.
