AQUAREHAB, founded in 1988, is a leader in trenchless technology and water rehabilitation. With its head office located in Laval, Quebec, AQUAREHAB is dedicated to the repair and maintenance of water networks and has teamed up with over two hundred municipalities across North America in its goal to ensure everyone has potable water.
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AQUAREHAB got its start in water main detection, but in the early 1990s, it transitioned to water main rehabilitation. It initially used various methods including spraying epoxy inside water mains. “All those techniques are not structural, but that’s where we started,” says AQUAREHAB Project Office Director François Campagna. “In 1995, we began the process for pressurized pipe – water and force main lining. In 2000, we introduced the structural lining for water mains and in 2003, sewer pipes.”
Today, AQUAREHAB works exclusively with cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) water pipe lining. “Structural lining class IV for water mains is our specialty,” says Campagna. Class IV liner is a fully structural liner, capable of withstanding pressures of 150 psi.”
AQUAREHAB is dedicated to maintaining water systems. “It’s always been an issue, even if people haven’t heard about it,” says Campagna. “Now, you start to hear more about it. The water is the resource for the future, and I think it will always be a concern. If you look around, major cities like Montreal and Toronto have issues with losing water that has been treated. Leaking water mains are very costly. Instead of going in homes, drinkable water is lost in the soil. We’re losing money on top of losing a precious resource,” he shares.
“Certain parts of our country are lucky in a way, because they have plenty of water, but that’s not the case everywhere,” says Campagna. “We are offering the cities another option to conventional replacement, at a better cost with a lot less impact for the users and on the environment.”
AQUAREHAB is a pioneer in CIPP water pipe lining in North America. “We are the ones that have lined the biggest water main. We did it in 2015 – 48” (1,200 millimetres) in downtown Montreal,” says Campagna.
“We take pride in the quality of our work. Our team is an essential part of the company’s successes. Thanks to them, we were and still are the leader in our industry after thirty years. Teamwork is in AQUAREHAB’s DNA. Every member of the AQUAREHAB family contributes to the improvement of his or her workplace, whether it is safety, equipment, process, or technique related. Many of our innovations are born from the ingenuity of our people.”
As is the case for any business, finding a skilled workforce is a challenge. “It’s something that AQUAREHAB is well aware of. Having projects geographically spread across North America adds another complexity. We develop programs for labour retention as well as others for recruiting,” Campagna says. “Our reputation helps us in acquiring new people and keeping our important ones.”
AQUAREHAB representatives travel across the continent to meet cities and talk about the benefits of pipe rehabilitation. “As a leader and pioneer in this field we gave ourselves a mission to educate our clientele and develop new opportunities,” says Campagna.
AQUAREHAB celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018 and is proud of all that it has accomplished. “As of last year, we have installed over 500,000 kilometres of structural liner in water mains throughout Canada and the Northeastern United States. We are one of the few that have been able to install water main liner, and we are still leading,” says Campagna.
Unfortunately, due to sewer and water mains being out of sight, money has not always been invested in the upkeep of underground utilities. “In North America – and elsewhere in the world – people are presently putting a lot of money into trying to repair their underground utilities because it is becoming a big issue,” says Campagna. “This gives us opportunities. Every utility owner has to do something about it.”
As AQUAREHAB grows, it will continue to make teamwork, safety, quality of work, and innovation priorities, while improving its techniques and abilities to remain the leader in CIPP. “We plan to keep our place at the top,” says Campagna.
