A septic solution for island dwellers

Jeff Green | May 11, 2022

“We saw a need and have put in place what is needed to fill it.”

That's how Peter Copestake describes the new business venture that island Marine Construction, a 35 year old family run vconstruction company owned by Greg Fleming, started up last summer on lakes along the Rideau Canal.

They used a 40' x 16' barge to haul everything they needed to safely pump out septic tanks on island properties in lakes up and down the canal, many that had not been pumped out for decades because there have been no licensed contractors available to provide the service.

The company is a busy, full service contracting company, specialising in projects on island properties to they were well placed to offer the service.

For Copestake, who describes himself as a “reformed banker”,  and received a degree in limnology in university as well as serving in the navy before beginning his banking career, working with Island Marine Construction is a bit of a passion project.

“Island property owners develop a particularly strong relationship to the water and the ecosystem that surrounds them, and this is a way, finally, for them to ensure they can enjoy their properties without posing any hazard to the ecosytem,” he said.

After one season along the Rideau, doing 38 pump outs, and booking their barge out for the coming season, the company decided to invest in a smaller barge and a float truck that would enable them to serve lakes across Eastern Ontario. That boat will be ready in the coming weeks and they are now looking to offer their services to island property owners on Frontenac County Lakes this summer.

But they need cottage owner and cottage associations to come on board.

“Because of all of the costs involved bringing the equipment and crews to a lake, we need to book 5 properties on a lake in order to make it work,” said Copeland. “We require a crew of at least 3 people to do the job safely, and to satisfy all the requirements of our licensing, and we also need to book a septic contractor on shore to pump the contents into their truck for safe transport to ministry approved facility.”

The company has made contacts with island property owners on Eagle and Sharbot Lake and are working with those associations to make those lakes some of the first that they get to this summer.

“There are a lot of lakes in the region, of course, and we are hoping that the lake associations will help us make the necessary contacts so we can put everything together to provide this service,” said Copestake.

The service costs a lot more than a land-based septic tank pump-out, at a cost of around $2,000, because the operating costs are so high, and the new barge that has been constructed is designed to be able to access islands with less than ideal boat launches.

The  2022 schedule is filling up fast  Based on numbers received from each lake, the company will prioritize our schedule based on demand from property owners on each respective lake

The company website is now live, and it is capable of accepting requests for service through an e-form. - https://www.islandmarineconstruction.ca/

or contact them directly at 613-349-9655 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sharbot Lake Property owners interested in service can contact  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Eagle Lake Property owners can contact Doug Cummings  at (647) 518-3684.