Asset Sustainability

Asset management is maintaining a desired level of service for what you want your assets to provide at the lowest life cycle cost. Lowest life cycle cost refers to best practices and appropriate cost for rehabilitating, repairing or replacing an asset. Asset management is implemented through an asset management program and typically includes a written asset management plan.

The challenges facing water and wastewater infrastructure (including stormwater management systems) include:

Determining the best (or optimal) time to rehabilitate, repair or replace aging assets;
Uncertainties about climate change upon stormwater runoff frequencies, flows and contaminant loadings;
New regulatory requirements;
Responding to emergencies (as a result of asset failures); and,
Protecting assets

Although the watershed protection concept is now accepted, it is essential to translate this interest into rational and logical processes that capture the interest of decision makers and (most important) the public. If asset sustainability in conjunction with watershed management directives are to be effective, it must be implemented with regulatory policies and legislation. But asset sustainability is not all about science for there are many components that are not strictly science based. Organization and structure, funding, public involvement and decision making that transcend political boundaries are essential to develop effective strategies – whether at the watershed or subwatershed level.

GREENLAND^® environmental projects use professional, multi-disciplinary teams. The cost of pre-emptive environmental planning is a small percentage of new development costs. Despite its low cost, it provides invaluable information that can save money during infrastructure design and construction stages. It can also prevent costly remediation and rehabilitation works.

Our team of experts firmly believes that to improve the quality of life, society must first protect what is already healthy. Each project is client driven and ultimately generated by the unique set of circumstances that influence the area that is being considered for development. While tools and methods may change from time to time, our commitment to the needs of our clients is a priority.

Strategic asset management for water and wastewater infrastructure must have regard for “watersheds”, as well as cumulative effects and climate change, since watersheds are exceedingly intricate and inter-dependent complexes of land, water, plants and animals.

The watershed is also now recognized as the priority unit for identifying and managing water supply and wastewater treatment systems. However, this approach to find sustainable asset solutions can place significant pressures on resource agency managers and planners to provide leadership and innovation.

Since incorporation (over 30 years ago), our corporate brand has regard for asset sustainability principles since we combine traditional engineering methods and bio-mimicry principles with 'smart' technologies. We also pioneered a responsible corporate brand with an environmental protection, conservationist ethic and climate adaptation priorities too.

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Client Testimonials

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry

Good Morning Trevor,

Thank you for providing the requested information. With the receipt of this information and the most recent changes to the code, SWMC (aka Surface Water Monitoring Centre) is pleased to confirm that the development of the New (Province-wide Flood Forecasting) Model to be complete as per the contract. We sincerely appreciate your continued dedication and professionalism throughout this project. It has certainly evolved in unexpected ways, and the commitment from both sides has been instrumental in achieving this successful completion.

Thank you!

Amber Langmuir
Project Manager
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry
September 9, 2024

NRC-IRAP

I am writing to acknowledge the completion of a successful R&D project funded by the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP).

Your firm’s performance on the project was excellent, and your team was a pleasure to work with.

The CANWET product that you have commercialized since the end of the project represents a strong step forward in your field, and you should be proud.

We wish you well in the successful commercialization of the technology, and the continued growth of your firm which will contribute to the Canadian economy.

Doug Reed
Industrial Technology Advisor
NRC-IRAP
July 8, 2011

University of Guelph

The reappearance of excessive nutrient loading in Lake Erie and the subsequent algae blooms is an extremely complex issue and is quite different in nature than the previous phosphorous loadings in the 1970s. Unlike the issue in the 1970s, there are far more sources adding nutrients to the late and these sources are diverse in nature ranging from rural to urban. In order to understand the nutrient loading, both in the temporal and spatial domains, more complex analytic and predictive tools are required in order to help policy make sound, science based, and defendable solutions.

The University of Guelph is uniquely positioned to help address the issues around Lake Erie with long standing core strengths in both the agricultural sector and the environmental field. In conjunction with our partner, Greenland Consulting Engineers, and their watershed evaluation tool (CANWET^TM), we believe that we have the engineering and technology to extrapolate CANWET^TMfrom the watershed level up to the lake basin level and provide decision-making support for the entire Lake Erie basin.

Hussein Abdullah, Ph.D., P. Eng.
Director, School of Engineering
University of Guelph
January, 26 2015

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