The Aquatera way - celebrates 15 years of environmental innovation and excellence
2018 marks an incredible milestone for us at Aquatera Utilities Inc. as we celebrate 15 years in business. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication not only of our staff, but of our shareholders and community.
A full-service utility corporation, Aquatera provides water, wastewater, solid waste, recycling, and energy services to governments, businesses, and communities. In operation since 2003, we have developed a model that is both profitable and sustainable, and consistently delivers value to customers, shareholders, and the communities we serve. Serving more than 80,000 residents and businesses in one of the country’s fastest growing regions, we like to think of ourselves as a model of regional cooperation with our community at the heart of every decision we make.
With a core purpose of helping grow healthy communities, we operate to serve and build our communities while being socially and environmentally accountable and create new opportunities that are in the best interest of our customers and environment. We are also agents of change, continuously looking at opportunities for growth and advancement.
Taking pride in our brand promise of trusted quality, valued service, and peace of mind, how can an environmental steward such as Aquatera improve its culture in the workplace and in the community? For us, the answer was Lean, a systematic approach focused on continuous improvement by identifying and eliminating unnecessary activities without sacrificing productivity.
Due to our continued development, using Lean methodology, Aquatera was selected as the first recipient of the International Continuous Improvement Excellence Award for North America from Leading Edge Group. This award was established to recognize and honour organizations that implement sustainable continuous improvement programs.
And, through the establishment and implementation of Lean, Aquatera is helping to change the way we think about waste in more ways than one. Riding on the success that Lean has accomplished in our everyday work, we set out to put these principles in motion at our landfill.
Imagine the environmental impact of removing 13,500 vehicles from the road each year; powering 14,000 homes each year; and heating 200 homes each year. This is exactly what Aquatera has done with its bioreactor landfill gas-to-energy-project.
This innovative technology allows us to capture landfill gas from decomposing waste, convert this gas to energy, and use this energy to provide electricity and heat to our water and wastewater treatment plants.
Innovation is at the tips of our fingers and Aquatera has no plans to stop anytime soon. We will continue to focus on environmental stewardship, providing quality and value to our customers, and leaving a positive footprint on the communities we serve.
Sarah Martin is the Public Relations & Communications Specialist for Aquatera Utilities Inc. and has a Professional Communications degree from Royal Roads University.
as published in Municipal World, June 2018
