How was Aqua Specialties LLC
started?
By 1989, I had worked for both a well drilling firm and water systems
contractor. When the company for whom I was working closed, I formed
Aqua Specialties
(later to become Aqua Specialties LLC).
So then what did you do?
Many of my clients followed me, especially those in need of water
treatment expertise. I had gathered a reasonable tool collection and
was installing and servicing both well pump and water treatment
systems. It was truly a grass-roots effort.
Did you provide any other services?
Yes. In the late eighties, I acquired a New Hampshire Water Works
Operators License for small community water systems. Having constructed
water pump stations for property developers’ condominiums and other
developments, I already had clients who needed an operator. I began
offering this as a service, and today Aqua Specialties LLC manages over
25
public water supplies in southern New Hampshire and provides
specialized services to others.
We provide technical services to some of
our clients. Aqua Specialties LLC can provide investigative services of
water wells: flow and depth determination and we have a camera for
inspecting well bores. I have seen an increasing interest in water
quality and well construction concerns. A reasonable summary of our
offerings is on the Full Service page.
How is your company staffed?
Since most of our customers rely on their well water supply systems
daily, I need staff members who are intelligent and responsive while
not afraid to get their hands dirty. This is a specialized field with
no formal training programs, unlike the plumbing and electrical trades.
There are, however, licenses that we maintain. I carefully choose
individuals who can
learn quickly through reference materials and in-house instruction. We
have high standards for our workmanship and the products we sell. We
outsource to competent subcontractors as needed.
I earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and
economics at the University of New
Hampshire's engineering department so some may consider this
to be an unlikely career direction. I do not feel that you can be
overeducated; the perspectives that you gain will help you and those
you serve. I encourage my employees to read industry news and attend
seminars. I have been fortunate enough to take some graduate-level
ground water hydrology courses which were offered through UNH. In
addition, those of us who have water works operators' licenses are
required to maintain our continuing education.
What is your approach to
your work?
Aqua Specialties
LLC delivers
reliability and value to our well water clients. We choose
equipment
that will last and install it correctly. When possible, we encourage
our clients to upgrade their systems to comply with the newest codes
and to protect our ground water resources. Our approach to water
treatment is to keep it simple yet effective. We understand that most
of our clients just want a source of clean water with minimal upkeep
and we design our systems accordingly. We install equipment so that it
can
be readily serviced in the future.
What do you predict for the
future of Aqua Specialties LLC?
Since we have a strong customer
base in our service region, we anticipate that Aqua Specialties LLC
will
continue to serve our well water customers through good and bad
economic times. We have positioned ourselves to be very much like a
water utility for our full-service well customers. As the EPA's
regulations of small water supplies become more strict (i.e. radon
level reduction) we will respond with the
latest technologies available to our industry. We also have experienced
a
large demand for arsenic level reduction systems.
As fossil fuel prices rise, geothermal heating and
cooling has experienced a renewed popularity. We incorporated a
geothermal climate control system at our new facility which can be
readily viewed by visitors. We can work side-by-side with geothermal
climate control specialists, to investigate and implement the
possibilites of this technology with your well.
I also expect that our technical
services will be needed more as development takes over our previously
undeveloped land. Though we work in a relatively water-rich area,
concerns are growing about the availablity and quality of drinking
water. A few years ago, we were hired by a large water company to
investigate the performance of over 40 private wells adjacent to one of
their municipal wells. Even in New Hampshire, people are learning not
to take our groundwater for granted.
We have also opened an on-line
store for well owners, wellwaterproducts.com.
Aqua
Specialties
LLC
has
always
sold
high-quality
well pump and water
quality improvement equipment to local do-it-yourselfers. In this age
of big box discount stores, people are learning to appreciate the value
of professional grade goods. We are offering the same products which we
install, and stand behind, on-line at reasonable prices.
