Aquatera Utilities

What Aquatera Utilities does

Aquatera Utilities Inc. is a municipally owned utility corporation incorporated in 2003 and headquartered in Grande Prairie, Alberta, providing integrated water, wastewater, and solid waste management services across northwestern Alberta. The company is owned by four municipal shareholders — City of Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie, Town of Sexsmith, and Town of Wembley — who each contributed infrastructure assets in exchange for preferred shares carrying a mandatory 5% annual dividend. Aquatera serves more than 80,000 end customers through a regulated monopoly model within its service territories, operating physical infrastructure including water treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, a landfill, an Eco Centre, and five 24/7 bulk water stations. The underlying technology stack is conventional utility infrastructure — positive displacement water meters, treatment processes, and pipeline networks — augmented by customer-facing portals (My Account, Service Request Portal, Open Data Portal) for billing, service requests, and operational data access.

The company's revenue model combines recurring subscription utility charges (water and wastewater at $2.02-$5.96/m3, garbage at $17-$22.91/month, recycling at $6.25-$16.37/month) with usage-based fees (bulk water at $11.60/m3, landfill tipping at $97.50/tonne), one-time infrastructure charges for new development (up to $10,475 per standard residential connection), and emerging environmental revenue streams including $1.6M in carbon credits from landfill gas capture in 2025. Beyond core shareholder territories, Aquatera generates incremental revenue through managed operations contracts with municipalities including Wetaskiwin, Jasper, Hinton, Millet, and Diamond Valley, as well as industrial clients such as Teck Coal Limited. The go-to-market combines regulated monopoly billing within shareholder municipalities with a sales-led approach for managed services contracts in new jurisdictions. Financial scale indicators include 2025 EBITDA of $33.5M, $26.7M in capital investments, and $5.9M in shareholder dividends, with 101-250 employees supporting operations. Aquatera also pursues environmental stewardship initiatives including landfill gas-to-energy conversion, solar generation (644.24 MWh produced in 2025), and bioengineering stabilization, supplemented by the Water|Earth|Innovation Conference, customer engagement programs, and educational outreach.

Name

Aquatera Utilities

Legal name

Aquatera Utilities Inc.

Website

https://aquatera.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aquatera Utilities is a municipally owned Canadian utility corporation providing water, wastewater, and solid waste services to 80,000+ customers across northwestern Alberta, operating physical treatment infrastructure, landfills, and bulk water stations with additional managed services contracts in other municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Wastewater treatment
• Solid waste management
• Municipal utility operations
• Environmental stewardship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Grande Prairie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water and Wastewater Utility Billing: Recurring utility charges based on water consumption measured in cubic metres, plus fixed water and wastewater fees determined by meter size. Charges include water services, wastewater services, and municipal franchise fees passed to shareholders.
2. Garbage Collection and Recycling: Monthly garbage collection fees and residential/commercial recycling charges administered on behalf of municipalities. Fees fund waste reduction initiatives including Eco Centre operations, blue bag recycling, and seasonal collections.
3. Landfill Tipping Fees: Per-tonne tipping fees for waste disposed at the Aquatera Landfill. Rates vary by material type, with source-separated materials at $97.50/tonne and various specialized rates for construction debris, asbestos, drywall, and other waste categories.
4. Bulk Water Sales: Bulk water sales at $11.60 per cubic metre to rural residential and commercial customers. Available through multiple bulk water stations operating 24/7.
5. Infrastructure Charges: One-time infrastructure charges collected from new developments for water and wastewater systems. Based on meter size, with charges like $10,475 for a standard residential dwelling (5/8 meter) for both water and wastewater services combined.
6. Carbon Credits: Revenue generated from carbon credits, with $1.6 million in carbon credit revenue recorded in 2025 from landfill gas capture operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Aquatera Utilities Inc. operates as a municipally owned utility corporation delivering water, wastewater, and solid waste management services to more than 80,000 customers across northwestern Alberta. Core operations encompass drinking water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, curbside garbage and recycling collection, landfill disposal, and bulk water supply, supplemented by engineering, environmental stewardship (landfill gas capture and solar generation), and contracted managed operations for partner municipalities.

Product overview

Aquatera Utilities is a municipally owned utility corporation providing water, wastewater, and solid waste management services across northwestern Alberta. The company operates a unified service portfolio organized around three core pillars: Water Services (treatment, distribution, bulk water, metering, hydrants, and conservation), Wastewater Services (collection, treatment, and infrastructure maintenance), and Garbage and Recycling Services (curbside collection, Eco Centre, landfill, and waste diversion). Supporting these core operations are customer-facing digital portals including the My Account Portal for billing and payment management, the Service Request Portal for submitting service issues and line locate requests, and an Open Data Portal providing public access to operational data. The company also offers auxiliary services such as billing and metering, infrastructure maintenance, and contracted consulting services for municipalities, along with environmental stewardship initiatives including landfill gas capture and solar capture programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Services Provides drinking water treatment, distribution, bulk water supply, metering, hydrant services, cross connection control, lead service management, and water conservation programs across service communities in northwestern Alberta.
• Wastewater Services Provides wastewater collection, treatment, infrastructure maintenance, sump and septic disposal, treated wastewater management, and seasonal odour control for municipalities across northwestern Alberta.
• Garbage and Recycling Services Provides curbside garbage and recycling collection, Eco Centre operations, landfill management, cardboard diversion, extended producer responsibility programs, and a Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project for residential and commercial customers.
• Engineering and Development Services Provides service connection and disconnection, capital project management, development permits, open data portal, and standards and guidelines for utility infrastructure across serviced communities.
• Environmental Stewardship Environmental programs including landfill gas-to-energy capture, solar capture initiatives, and bioengineering stabilization projects that support environmental sustainability and generate carbon credit revenue.
• Auxiliary and Contracted Services Includes billing and metering services, bulk water, catch basin and maintenance hole repair, hydrant repair, landfill operations, lift station maintenance, sanitary sewer and storm line flushing, sump and septic disposal, underground infrastructure maintenance, and consulting services for municipalities and industries.
• Bulk Water Sales Sale of bulk water at $11.60 per cubic metre to rural residential and commercial customers through five 24/7 self-serve bulk water stations located across the service territory.

Quantifiable outcome

• EBITDA of $33.5M in 2025 demonstrating strong financial performance
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northwestern PolytechniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Aquatera partnered with Northwestern Polytechnic to launch the Water and Wastewater Technician Certificate Program in 2025. This innovative collaboration establishes a pool of trained operators critical for addressing staffing demands as the organization continues to grow. The partnership supports workforce development and addresses the operator training needs of the utility sector.
• Recycle PlusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquatera partners with Recycle Plus for the Bottle Donation Program. Donations can be dropped off at the Aquatera Eco Centre, Aquatera Landfill, or at Recycle Plus I and II bottle depots. The program has surpassed $1 million in total donations to community organizations.
• GovDealsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAquatera partners with GovDeals to auction surplus assets through their online platform. This provides a transparent and equitable way for the public to view and bid on items no longer in active use, helping extend the value of these resources responsibly.
• Northwestern Alberta FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquatera collaborates with Northwestern Polytechnic and the Northwestern Alberta Foundation to expand educational and employment opportunities in the region through the Water and Wastewater Technician Certificate program and Aquatera's Environment Fund.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EPCOR Utilities Inc. Canadian municipally owned (City of Edmonton) utility providing water, wastewater, electricity, and natural gas distribution, with the same structurally similar shareholder-owned governance model as Aquatera. Most directly comparable in terms of municipal utility operations, water/wastewater focus, and consolidated multi-vertical service portfolio in Alberta.
• Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA): Ontario Crown agency that operates and maintains water and wastewater infrastructure on behalf of municipalities — essentially the same outsourced/managed-operations playbook Aquatera is deploying across Alberta. Highly comparable business model of contracting with small and mid-sized municipalities for operations support.
• GFL Environmental Inc. Canadian-headquartered solid waste, recycling, and environmental services company with significant Alberta and Prairie operations. Directly comparable to the curbside collection, recycling, landfill, and Eco Centre components of Aquatera's service offering.
• Veolia Water Technologies & Operations Canada: Global water and wastewater services operator with a Canadian footprint providing contract operations, treatment plant operations, and municipal utility management services directly competitive with Aquatera's managed-operations contracts.
• Waste Connections of Canada: Large North American solid waste services provider including Canadian operations covering collection, transfer, recycling, and landfill — directly comparable to Aquatera's Garbage and Recycling Services, Eco Centre, and landfill operations.
• SUEZ Water Canada / Veolia (legacy): Municipal water and wastewater contract operator with significant Canadian operations providing outsourced operations, treatment, and infrastructure management — competing for the same outsourced municipal operations mandates Aquatera is winning.

Broad incumbents

• TransAlta Corporation: Alberta-based power generation and energy infrastructure company and former employer of Aquatera CEO Vaughn Bend. Useful peer for governance, regulatory, and Alberta-based utility operating context though focused on electricity rather than water/wastewater.
• ATCO Ltd. Alberta-based diversified utility and infrastructure company with regulated and unregulated electricity, natural gas, and infrastructure operations. Comparable size and Alberta/Canadian footprint though broader portfolio and not water-focused.
• ENMAX Corporation: Alberta municipally owned (City of Calgary) utility primarily focused on electricity but operating under the same municipally owned corporation governance structure as Aquatera. Comparable governance and shareholder model though electricity rather than water/wastewater specialization.

Regional players

• Alberta Capital Region Wastewater Commission: Regional wastewater commission serving municipalities in the greater Edmonton area — comparable as a multi-municipal wastewater treatment and conveyance cooperative model operating in Alberta, contrasting with Aquatera's municipally owned utility corporation structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aquateradotca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquatera Utilities