Aquatech Pump and Power Inc. is a young Canadian contracting business already establishing a reputation for responding quickly to emergency dewatering and bypass pumping calls with a precise understanding of complex environmental regulations.

Aligning itself with a major equipment supplier and dealer helps the company access the tools and expertise it needs without risking too much capital. The company’s head office is located in Concord, Ontario, a suburban community on the north side of Toronto and within easy striking distance of dozens of large population centers bordering Lake Ontario.

Attributes that set the company apart include close relationships with regulators, attentiveness to customers, deep knowledge of dewatering and bypass methods and technologies, and a workforce dedicated to solving customers’ problems no matter what it takes.

As part of its mission, the company is striving to prove that economic development can take place while preserving critical natural resources.

Responsible growth

“I think what we’ve been seeing for the last five years or so is a demand to support municipalities through a huge period of growth,” says Andy Ingriselli, president of Aquatech. “In some cases, the regulators have lost confidence, believing that this growth isn’t supported by a knowledge of environmental regulation.

“It’s up to companies like ours to show them that we can support growth while protecting the environment. We keep up on all of the recent regulations, and we keep up an open line of communication between the regulators and ourselves. People have the mistaken idea that the regulators are there to stop development, but they’re really very open to working with all of the parties to see the type of end result they’re looking for.”

Aquatech researched how contractors in Europe operate under stringent environmental regulations and applied that knowledge to the local market. “They’re way ahead of North America in environmentally sensitive designs,” says Ingriselli. “They’re also used to operating in a smaller footprint, and doing something creative in less room, something we’re starting to deal with as urban areas get tighter.”

Aquatech aligned itself early on with Godwin Pumps of America, serving as that company’s Ontario distributor. That status provides not only a large equipment base, but also access to technical expertise. Aquatech also distributes Hudig Pumps throughout Canada and the United States.

“You can’t just try to do everything yourself,” says Ingriselli. “It became clear to us early that nobody compared to Godwin in the type of support they offer. In my opinion, we also bring something to them in terms of the way we represent them here. Just as they offer us support, we offer similar support to contractors who rent or buy from us. By sharing our knowledge, we’re raising the bar for the entire industry.”

Big rental pool

Aquatech owns a large base of its equipment outright but dips into the pool of rental equipment on an as-needed basis. Godwin dealerships in Buffalo, N.Y., and Grand Rapids, Mich., help extend the company’s range. In some cases, the U.S. dealerships are located closer to Ontario jobsites than the Toronto-area office.

The company became a distributor for Hudig because its energy-efficient pumps are environmentally sensitive. “They offer oilless pumps in both diesel and electric models for environmentally sensitive applications, something that’s ahead of the curve in North America,” Ingriselli says.

Branch manager Norm Metcalfe was sold on joining the company by a combination of dealer power, available equipment and Ingriselli’s environmental expertise. “As a dealer, we have access to all of the goodies that come with the inventory,” he says.

“But although anyone can throw pumps at a problem, it takes more to do the job without damaging the pumps, the environment and the infrastructure. The regulatory agencies are empowered to shut down any project they see as threatening the environment. We’ve built up a level of trust so that when we meet with the various regulatory agencies, we can begin to bounce ideas off them immediately.”

Handling emergencies

The company’s bread and butter is construction industry work, including sewage and creek bypass pumping, contract dewatering, pond drainage, water main testing and flushing, and new construction development. About 20 percent of the contracts are emergency jobs – and what constitutes an emergency is well-defined.

“When a customer says it’s an emergency, then it’s an emergency,” says Metcalfe. “The typical emergency client is a municipality, an agency, a contractor or a general contractor. For some of them, it may not be a service they traditionally use. No client likes an emergency. When they call, we try to give them the feeling that their interests are being protected.”

Although the company offers a standard pricing schedule, in emergencies it’s not always easy to determine who the client is – the construction contractor, the municipality or the surrounding region. “We’re not really concerned who the client might be at the start of the job,” says Metcalfe. “We can sort all that out later after the emergency is over. We’re not the cheapest in town, but we’re not the most expensive either. When we bill for the equipment we use, we’re not obliged to charge a minimum like some big rental companies. We just charge what it costs.”

In Ontario, environmental regulations are generated at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, and regional conservation authorities also take some responsibility. The Ontario Water Resources Act provides significant challenges to contractors.

The Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Assoc-iation has campaigned to clarify rules that it says are difficult to understand. A water spill from a leaking pipe, for example, might actually be covered under the province’s Environmental Protection Act, dep-ending on circumstances. A regulation designed to protect groundwater resources prevents any party, including dewatering contractors, from removing in excess of 13,000 gallons of water from provincial aquifers in a single day without a water-taking permit.

Reputation for knowledge

Ingriselli says Aquatech cultivates a reputation for up-to-date knowledge of regulatory compliance. “Part of what we offer the client is confidence,” he says. “In many cases, a contractor might innocently do something that leads to them potentially facing charges. We work closely with environmental consultants and engineers to make sure we understand what we’re doing.”

A case in point is a contract in which Aquatech worked with a specialized environmental consultant, Groundwater Environmental Manage-ment Services Inc. (GEMS) of Rich-mond Hill, Ontario, to clean up turbid stormwater passing through a construction site and entering a creek designated as a protected fisheries habitat.

After GEMS made erosion-control enhancement recommendations, Aquatech designed a system to divert water around the construction site and lower the turbidity of the water entering the ecosystem. “It’s important in these systems to design for high- and low-flow conditions because the equipment will be in place over a length of time,” says Ingriselli. “In this case, we needed to design the system to operate from a range of 20 gpm to 2,000 gpm.”

Equipment brought to the site included three 2-inch submersible pumps, one 3-inch submersible pump, one 4-inch submersible pump, four 6-inch diesel silenced pumps, one 4-inch diesel pump, three generators, and two light towers, all from Godwin; as well as five automatic float panels, two 18,000-gallon tanks, two four-pod sand media filters, and four pressurized micron filter canisters.

Water entered the filtration system at 133 to 1,000 NTU, and the goal was to improve that quality to less than 12 NTU. “Water quality has improved to readings of as low as two NTU,” says Ingriselli. “Results like this were previously thought to be unattainable without the use of nonorganic treatment methods.”

Mine dewatering

The company also offers dewatering services for mining operations in northern Ontario. In an emergency job last year, Aquatech delivered three massive diesel pumps to an open-pit mine near Kapuskasing, a 10-hour drive north of the city, after the existing pumps broke down.

“The system was designed and delivered in under 40 hours,” says Ingriselli. “The crews connected the new pumps and aggressively drained the excavation to meet the mining production schedule.” Aquatech is considering opening a branch office in northern Ontario to cater directly to the mining market.

Aquatech promotes itself largely by word of mouth, and its mobile fleet features an aggressive corporate design. “There’s no better way to promote yourself than to provide your services professionally,” says Ingriselli.

Many clients come to the business directly after finding the Web site. The company also works actively with industry associations and has hosted its own open house, complete with seminars and speakers representing local environmental and development groups.

One challenge for the business is finding employees willing to drop what they’re doing and return to work for emergencies. “It takes a special kind of dedication to leave the house just as the roast is coming out of the oven and your family is sitting down to Sunday dinner,” says Metcalfe. “You can have all the pumps in the world, and all the support from distributors, but we’ve got nothing if we don’t have people at all levels, from truck yard to sales to the executives, ready to step up to the plate and assume responsibility for their part of the operation.”

Ingriselli agrees that the team approach works when everyone is on message: “We’re here to demonstrate that, with the right equipment, sound processes, good communication, and the right approach, development and growth can happen without sacrificing the environment.”