Canadian Dewatering L.P. provides full-service fluid-management services

Dale Marchand, president of Canadian Dewatering, said the business is a simple one. The company provides custom fluid-management solutions to the mining, construction, municipal infrastructure, oil and gas, and forestry industries that allow clients safe, environmentally sound access to sometimes difficult sites.

“Generally, we are removing obstacles or mitigating delays where water becomes a contentious issue,” said Marchand. “Our core business is full-service solutions.”

The company’s scope consists of dewatering systems that run a few metres to several kilometres, and each system is constructed to meet a specific, all-encompassing set of needs. Clients looking for a pump vendor, for instance, can expect the full package from Canadian Dewatering, including fused piping and hose systems installation and generators—plus, the company’s fully operated and maintained approach provides assurance that the system is up and running trouble-free.

Although Canadian Dewatering’s head office is in Edmonton, with eight branches across Western Canada, there is always a branch to serve any region in British Columbia. The company has one branch in Surrey, B.C., that provides the Greater Vancouver area with sediment control, pumping and dewatering services, while the branch in Castlegar, B.C., provides diving services in the southern interior of the province. 

The company is also developing in Prince George, B.C., to address the growing needs of the central interior. In addition—to provide quick response to clients across province—the Edmonton branch also serves the Peace Region and the Calgary office supports Alberta’s eastern mines.

The mining industry in B.C. offers specific geographical challenges that Canadian Dewatering is all too familiar with. The elevation in both open-pit mines and underground operations requires focus and expertise in hydraulics and hydrology to strategize around sometimes dramatic elevation changes.

Open-pit mining systems, for instance, often require the ability to lift water out of the mine over rolling elevations that vary from 600 to 700 feet.

“That’s not an easy feat—one imperial gallon weighs 10 pounds,” said Marchand. “A typical pond in the bottom of a mine could contain 13,000 to 15,000 gallons of water. Our solutions will have the water up and out of there in a few days or a couple of weeks, depending on the volume.

“Every time you have to move up and down hill, the horsepower and pump system becomes important and heavy.”

As an example, Canadian Dewatering moved 17 million gallons of water over 1,200 feet of elevation at a coal mine near Sparwood in southeastern B.C.

The company also had a particularly complex dredging system running at a mine near Kamloops, B.C., this winter; it involved providing a dredge to remove slurry from the mine pit under a condensed project schedule.

“Not only is the water an issue,” said Marchand, “but in some cases there are tailings mixed in. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s good hard work and necessary work.”

Environmental regulations in B.C. are stricter than in other parts of Western Canada—something Canadian Dewatering remains mindful of.

“When we set up a job in B.C., we have spill containment set up and organize a very environmentally aware job site,” said Marchand. “Ultimately, the clients want to feel pleased with their environmental efforts and remain pleasing in the public eye.”

The company also assists mining operations in meeting water collection and reuse regulations, with sediment-control systems that provide desedimentation prior to discharge.

“In most cases you can’t discharge into open systems unless you have good clean water,” said Marchand. “We provide silt control and systems to ensure the client a clean water job site.”

Canadian Dewatering conducts close to 20 per cent of its business in B.C. and a great deal of work in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and other oilsands projects—with legacy issues requiring everything from smaller dewatering contracts and tailings control to mega systems for some of the largest operators in Alberta.