Jennifer Obleman
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, January 9, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - There may be many Yk businesses with blue bins for cardboard and pop cans, but Ron’s Auto Service and Equipment Rentals is taking recycling to the next level.

The industrial sales and equipment rental and service company installed a $70,000 water recycling system in its new building on Kam Lake Road.

Ron Gibeault, who owns and operates Ron's Auto with his sons Gord and Brent, shows water that has gone through the oil separator before it goes into the water maze to be treated in the company's water recycling system. - Jennifer Obleman/NNSL photo

"I had groundwater here and I wanted to recycle water because they could never truck enough water to keep up with what we need, or truck out the water - if I had a sump going out to the sewer tank, it would be full all the time," said Ron Gibeault, who owns and operates Ron's Auto with his sons Gord and Brent.

"(The recycling system) will take quite awhile to pay for itself, but without it, we'd be waiting on the water truck. We'd always be out of water, especially in the summer."

Ron's Auto will still have water trucked in for showering and washing dishes, but recycled groundwater will be used in the toilets and urinals and for pressure washing equipment.

The company estimates it will save at least $2,000 a year on trucked water.

"Plus, with what it's doing for the environment, we're an environmentally-friendly business," said Gord.

Two wells draw untreated groundwater for recycling, and some water is also gained from melting snow when equipment is brought in for pressure washing, which is also drained back into the water treatment system.

First, the water goes through the oil separator. Recycled oil is put in the waste heater, and the water enters the Landa Water Maze clarifier, where it undergoes 12 to 36 hours of treatment.

"It's very similar to a swimming pool system," said Gord.

Ozone is injected into the water to kill any bacteria, then alum and chlorine are added.

After that, the water is filtered through multimedia filters (to catch things such as sand, gravel and charcoal) and a filter pack (which catches fibres).

Then it goes into the recycled water tank.

The system can treat up to 30 gallons of water a minute.

As far as the Gibeaults are aware, no other business in town has a system like theirs.

But that could soon change - Ron's Auto has taken on dealership of the Landa Water Maze System.

The system Ron's Auto has implemented retails for about $70,000 and requires about $10,000 worth of labour to install, but most businesses use less water and could likely get away with a $30,000 system, according to Gord.

There have already been a few inquiries about the water recycling systems.

The Gibeaults looked into government grants and energy efficiency rebates for the water recycling system, but found there was no applicable program. It's something they plan to take up with their MLA.

"I think there should be some money available because it is saving a lot of energy," said Ron.