Clear Creek Environmental

What Clear Creek Environmental does

Clear Creek Environmental Solutions (CCES), founded in 2013 (as Leachate Management Specialists, LLC) and operating under its current brand since 2017, is a privately held U.S. LLC that designs, installs, and operates natural treatment and disposal systems for industrial wastewater, with a primary focus on landfill leachate. Its core technology portfolio includes Phyto-Utilization™ (plant-based systems using vetiver grass or hybrid poplar trees to consume wastewater), WAIV® Wind-Aided Intensified eVaporation (enhanced wind evaporation with 2,000-5,000 gallons per day throughput per unit in an 80' x 20' footprint), Microbially Enhanced Brine Evaporation (proprietary process using 1,300+ halophilic microorganisms effective at 100,000 mg/L to 30%+ TDS), Constructed Wetlands, and Phyto-Cell™ off-footprint disposal, plus H2S removal services.

CCES generates revenue through a mix of one-time system installation/sales, multi-year capital purchase contracts, per-gallon managed services under its No-Capital Cost Option (which transfers operational risk to CCES), and ongoing consulting and engineering services spanning site assessment, permitting, design, fabrication, installation, operation, and maintenance. Distribution is direct enterprise sales to landfill operators (Republic Services, Waste Management, WCA Waste Corporation), government clients (Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Bureau of Reclamation/BGNDRF), industrial facilities, and brine producers in mining, oil & gas, and desalination, served throughout North America from a Colorado-based operation with 101-250 employees.

The company's competitive position rests on proprietary trademarked and trade-secret-protected natural technologies, state-level regulatory approvals, validated modeling accuracy (93-99% of modeled evaporation), 25-50% cost savings versus traditional disposal, 1-2.5 year customer ROIs, and a leadership team of licensed professional engineers and specialty microbiologists. National and international award recognition (King of Thailand Vetiver Award 2023, MSW Innovators Award 2022) and ongoing pilot deployments across multiple U.S. climates support credibility and geographic expansion.

Name

Clear Creek Environmental

Legal name

Clear Creek Environmental Solutions, LLC

Website

https://ccenv.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Clear Creek Environmental Solutions (CCES) is a private U.S. environmental services firm that designs, installs, and operates natural treatment and disposal systems for industrial wastewater and landfill leachate, serving solid waste operators, government agencies, and industrial facilities across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Services

NAICS

Waste Treatment and Disposal (56221), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Leachate Collection & Treatment Services (BPALACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Decentralized/Package Wastewater Systems (Small/Remote) (EUANADAE), Mine Dewatering & Water Management Services (Pumping, Treatment, Tailings Water Return) (IMAKAKAI)

Keywords

• Industrial wastewater treatment
• Leachate management solutions
• Wind-aided evaporation
• Phyto-utilization systems
• Brine management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. System Installation and Sale: Traditional system installation with capital expenditure from client. Systems designed, fabricated, and installed for wastewater treatment and disposal.
2. No-Capital Cost Option: System installed at no capital cost to client. Client pays per-gallon disposal fee, reducing costs immediately in Year 1 with further reductions in subsequent years. Risk transferred to CCES.
3. Per-Gallon Disposal Services: Low per-gallon charge for operation and maintenance services. Staff can focus on revenue-producing activities while CCES manages the system.
4. Consulting and Engineering Services: Top quality consulting and engineering services including site assessment, permitting, design, system fabrication, installation, operation, and maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clear Creek Environmental Solutions provides natural treatment and disposal systems for industrial wastewater and landfill leachate, using plant-based (Phyto-Utilization™), wind-based (WAIV®), and microbial technologies. The company delivers end-to-end services including site assessment, permitting, system design, fabrication, installation, operation, and maintenance, with site-specific solutions for landfills, industrial facilities, and brine producers across North America.

Product overview

Clear Creek Environmental Solutions provides a portfolio of natural systems for industrial wastewater treatment and disposal. The core offerings include: Phyto-Utilization™ (plant-based systems using vetiver grass or hybrid poplar trees), WAIV® (Wind-Aided Intensified eVaporation using wind energy for evaporation), Constructed Wetlands (engineered natural treatment systems), Brine Solutions Using Microbes (microbially enhanced evaporation for highly saline brines), and Phyto-Cell™ (off-footprint disposal solution). Services extend to Hydrogen Sulfide Removal and Landfill Leachate Management through the Leachate Management Specialists (LMS) division. These technologies are offered as site-specific solutions, and the company also provides a No-Capital Cost Option for qualified installations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WAIV® (Wind-Aided Intensified eVaporation): Enhanced wind evaporation technology adapted from the desalination industry for evaporation of high TDS brine and industrial wastewaters. Uses wind energy to create high density of wetted surface area within a small footprint.
• Phyto-Utilization™
• Phyto-Cell™

Products and services

• Phyto-Utilization™ Plant-based treatment system using fast-growing, non-invasive vetiver grass or hybrid poplar trees to consume industrial wastewater. Plants use the liquid as moisture and contaminants as nutrients, reducing or eliminating the need for other disposal methods in a green and sustainable way.
• WAIV® (Wind-Aided Intensified eVaporation) Enhanced wind evaporation technology that creates a high density of wetted surface area within a small footprint using specialized sails. Processes 2,000 to 5,000 gallons per day per unit, originally adapted from the desalination industry.
• Constructed Wetlands Engineered wetland systems providing natural treatment of industrial wastewater using lined systems that mimic traditional wastewater treatment processes through vertical/horizontal subsurface flow, free water surface flow, or floating systems.
• Brine Solutions Using Microbes Biologically-based method using halophilic microorganisms that greatly increases evaporation rates of highly saline brine. The technology becomes more effective as salt content increases, effective at concentrations from 100,000 mg/L to 30%+ TDS without energy or mechanical equipment.
• Phyto-Cell™ Off-footprint wastewater disposal solution designed for site-specific conditions with surface or subsurface distribution, soil growth media, liner system, rain diversion structures, and freeboard and sump options.
• Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) Removal Treatment system for removal of hydrogen sulfide from industrial wastewater to meet NPDES discharge limits or local POTW requirements.
• Consulting and Engineering Services Full-service offering including site assessment, permitting, design, system fabrication and installation, operation, and maintenance for industrial wastewater projects. Includes no-obligation initial assessment of wastewater suitability for Natural Systems.
• No-Capital Cost Option System installed at no capital cost to qualified clients. Client pays per-gallon disposal fee with cost reductions in Year 1 and subsequent years, transferring operational risk to CCES while delivering millions of dollars in savings over project life.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25-50% cost savings compared to traditional methods
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bureau of Reclamation Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020CCES developed mobile pilot unit in collaboration with the technology's inventors. Tested at BGNDRF facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico in Spring/Summer 2020 to validate sophisticated modeling with actual evaporation at 99.4% of modeled rate.
• Largest Mining Company (unnamed)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the world's largest mining companies was interested in WAIV technology's performance with RO reject wastewater. Mobile unit transferred to their closed mine facility in Central Sierra, California in late 2021.
• New Product Consulting, IncminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCES worked with New Product Consulting, Inc to develop a short animated video about the WAIV system to introduce the technology and show how it can dispose of large volumes of liquid waste.
• Leachate Management Specialists, LLCcoreOthersOriginal business division established in 2013 dedicated to providing natural systems to the solid waste industry. Now operating as the landfill division of CCES.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Cambrian Innovation: Cambrian delivers industrial wastewater treatment and resource recovery solutions with a focus on food & beverage and other manufacturing sectors. Comparable to CCES in serving industrial facilities with high-cost disposal pain points and offering on-site, biology-based treatment.
• Landia: Landia manufactures mixers, aerators, and biological treatment equipment for municipal and industrial wastewater applications, with a strong presence in biogas and sludge handling. Comparable as an equipment supplier into the same industrial and biogas-adjacent wastewater markets CCES targets.
• Fluence Corporation: Fluence provides decentralized packaged water and wastewater treatment systems for municipal and industrial clients globally. Overlaps with CCES's modular, site-specific delivery model and industrial customer base, though Fluence's portfolio spans broader treatment architectures.

Broad incumbents

• Stericycle: Stericycle provides regulated waste management and compliance services across North America, including industrial wastewater streams. Relevant as a broader incumbent competing for industrial disposal budgets, although its core franchise is medical and regulated solid waste.
• Veolia North America: Veolia operates one of the largest water and wastewater service platforms in the world, including industrial treatment outsourcing and hazardous waste handling. Competes with CCES indirectly as a one-stop alternative for industrial facilities evaluating treatment vs. disposal partnerships.
• Aquatech International: Aquatech specializes in desalination, brine management, and water reuse for industrial and municipal customers worldwide. Overlaps with CCES's brine and high-TDS focus, though Aquatech operates at much larger scale and broader process scope.
• Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is the largest North American provider of hazardous waste management, industrial cleaning, and emergency response services. Broadly comparable as a buyer alternative for industrial wastewater and landfill leachate customers, though its core is off-site hauling and treatment rather than on-site natural systems.

Direct peers

• Saltworks Technologies: Saltworks builds advanced treatment systems for industrial brine, desalination concentrate, and challenging wastewater — directly comparable to CCES's brine management and WAIV offerings. Both target industrial facilities with high-TDS, hard-to-treat streams and compete for similar engineering specs.
• Organica Water: Organica Water designs biological wastewater treatment plants that incorporate plants and natural processes into the treatment chain, closely mirroring CCES's Phyto-Utilization and Constructed Wetlands approach. Both sell nature-based, footprint-efficient alternatives to conventional activated sludge.
• Anua: Anua is a clean air and water solutions company selling packaged treatment systems and odor/corrosion control products to industrial and municipal customers. Comparable in modular, distributed treatment delivery and in competing for industrial wastewater projects where conventional solutions are too costly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ClearCreekES

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clear Creek Environmental