There’s a lot more to wastewater treatment than pipes, gravity and patience.

Maybe those components were enough for many companies and acreage owners in semi-remote areas before tough environmental rules came in. But it’s a new era, and wise managers of rural workplaces know they need the services of a business experienced in wastewater treatment.

Ivanhoe is a leader in this field, as well as a pioneer in some of its better developments. Its territory covers Alberta, B.C. and the Northwest Territories.

In fact, Ivanhoe is the leading renter of wastewater treatment systems in the North.

Michael Carriere, above, has 30 years of experience in the wastewater industry, which has helped him make Ivanhoe an industry leader. Tough new environmental rules mean more clients are turning to Ivanhoe for help.

Numerous oil and gas companies contract with Ivanhoe for proven, state-of-the-art sewage-treatment plants.

They keep calling Ivanhoe because this family-run operation has earned a reputation for unparalleled performance and rock-solid reliability in wastewater treatment.

“We offer excellent products, but we also take great pride in our quality service,” says owner Michael Carriere, who has 30 years of industry expertise and now works alongside two of his sons.

Until about the late 1990s, environmental rules were often relaxed or inconsistently enforced, especially in regard to oil and gas and forestry companies operating portable camps of workers.

Wastewater treatment typically consisted of lagoons and pits in the open air, a rather unpleasant solution. Sewage was left to be dealt with by bacteria at their own leisurely pace, and your nose certainly told you they were on the job.



Then, various levels of government began mandating better systems, and “package treatment plants” started to take off.

Ivanhoe services camps, industrial sites and acreages, as well as aboriginal and remote communities.

The system employs an extended aeration process, similar to the treatment method used by most municipalities, to reduce all domestic waste to a clear, odorless liquid in 24 hours.

The process involves a natural biological breakdown of the organic matter into the wastewater. Once the treatment has been accomplished, a stabilized effluent is safely returned to the environment.



“Up in the camps, you’ll get a 5,000-gallon-a-day system or even an 8,000-gallon-a-day system,” Carriere says. “That’s a lot of water. If you can put it back in the environment, cleaned up, then you’re doing a lot of important recycling.

“Some companies have been really environmentally conscious and good corporate citizens. They want to clean up the environment.” But there are others just starting to catch up with the times.

Whoever Ivanhoe deals with, the client is assured of getting top-class equipment. It is all NSF and CSA approved – completely reliable with low maintenance. Besides ensuring a safe environment, Ivanhoe’s wastewater systems tend to increase property values. Customers are offered choices of easy rental, leasing and purchasing terms. Ivanhoe handles permits, installation and service.

“We’ve addressed challenges in the industry and met them,” Carriere says, “including low-profile tanks that are heated and insulated and are good to 50 below zero. You can put them behind engineers’ trailers, so they don’t have to dig pits anymore.” Ivanhoe also takes pride in staying on top of technological developments.



“We always want to know what’s out on the market. We’re not complacent and we’re also not averse to change. We have to keep changing with the marketplace, otherwise you get left behind.” Of course, anyone can do a computer search of wastewater treatments and find companies making all kinds of claims. That’s when it’s important to remember the value of an Western Canadian leader with 30 years in the business and a reputation for backing up what it sells.

“If you look on the Internet, there are thousands of wastewater treatment systems out there, so it’s basically buyer beware,” Carriere says.

The company has impressed many clients over the years, including Skip Snydmiller at Oilfield Consulting Ltd. He recalls that during the winter of 2000-2001, Ivanhoe installed a wastewater treatment system at Oilfield’s base camp.

“The system worked very well with few problems,” he says. “Anytime there was a call Ivanhoe responded quickly and efficiently.” Ivanhoe had eliminated the lagoon and reduced the client’s excessive hauling costs.

“Service was excellent,” Snydmiller says.

At another site, construction consultant Darrell Roddick praises Ivanhoe-installed sewage- treatment and holding tanks in a “sensitive zone” where a camp is operated.

“The treatment system designed by Ivanhoe has handled this without problems throughout the winter. “Ivanhoe has done regular service calls to check the system and came out on short notice to install additional systems when we added more well sites.

“These systems are worthwhile, both for health and environmental considerations,” Roddick says.

Such testimonials are typical of countless customers’ reactions.

“We’re proud of the work we do, the way it’s good for the environment, and the service we give our customers,” Carriere says.

For more information, call 780.538.3904; toll-free 1.866.Ivanhoe (482.6463); or go to www.ivanhoecontracting.com.