from the UW news bureau
     
     Two University of Waterloo alumni have pooled their
talents to form a promising spin-off company that produces
software used by groundwater experts around the world.
     Waterloo Hydrogeologic Software markets a line of top-
notch, reasonably-priced computer models that are easy to
use. The two graduates in hydrogeology are Nilson Guiguer,
who holds a PhD, and Thomas Franz, with a master's degree.
     And the worldwide reputation of UW (and the Waterloo
Centre for Groundwater Research) in the field of
hydrogeology has proved a boon for the budding company.
     "We believe we benefited from Waterloo's worldwide
reputation," says Guiguer, who continues as WHS's president
and chief executive officer. "The reputation has come from
the volume and quality of the research papers UW
hydrogeologists have been turning out; it's made it easier
for us attract clients and customers."
     It all began in 1988 when the two decided to create
software for their research.
     "I have an interest in computing; Thomas has a good
deal of expertise in numerical modelling," says Guiguer. "We
got to know each other as graduate students and decided to
develop a program to model the flow of groundwater.
Initially it was something we did in our spare time, back in
1988."
     He says they never dreamed of the success they've since
enjoyed (annual sales now at the half-million-dollar level).
     "Our main motive was to get some exposure," Guiguer
recalls. "At that time, I was already involved in teaching a
short course on the use of PCs for professional hydrogeolo
gists, with my former master's supervisor, Dr. Robert
Cleary. I thought that creating an easy-to-use model would
be a nice business card. If we'd managed to sell 50 copies
we'd have thought we were doing well."
     But it takes more than a university's research fame to
assure success in the marketplace'.
     "Our models are easy for a practising hydrogeologist to
use," explains Guiguer. "They have good graphics capability;
in other words they don't just grind out columns of numbers.
They draw illustrative, easy-to-understand pictures."
     Their initial software, now marketed under the trade
name FLOWPATH, has sold 2,500 copies to date. It has become
the most popular model in the industry, with engineers and
hydrogeologists all over the world using it to calculate
pathlines, travel times, velocities, water balances, and to
simulate aquifer behavior. Further, the company has sold
hundreds of other software packages.
     A complete list of applications for the company's
models includes: aquifer characterization, wellhead
protection, dewatering (for soil remediation purposes),
design of engineering systems at landfill sites (including
leachate collection systems and low-permeability barriers),
fate and transport predictions for dissolved and free-phase
contaminant plumes, and the modeling of remedial systems for
contaminated groundwater and soils.
     As well, WHS is adapting its programs so they will run
on a variety of operational systems (including Unix, DOS,
Windows). Part of this work has been assigned to UW under
graduates spending co-operative work terms with the company.
     Building up its product list hasn't deterred WHS from
undertaking a variety of consulting jobs; in fact, they base
much of their consulting work on the use of their models.
One such job is with the Waterloo Region municipal
government.
     "We are delineating wellhead protection areas for the
Regional Municipality of Waterloo," says Guiguer. "It is the
first such program in Canada."
     Protecting the region's water will involve regulation
of soil use throughout the entire area, based on field
studies and mathematical modelling.
     "Safeguarding the water supply means controlling the
location of industry, creating an inventory of potential
polluters to catch problems early on before they become
severe, controlling the use of pesticides, and so on," notes
Guiguer, who has been involved in similar projects in
Massachusetts and South Dakota.
     WHS is also involved with the Electrical Power Research
Institute in California, developing a model to predict the
movement of dense non-aqueous phase liquid contaminants that
can be anticipated to be released into the environment as a
result of power transformer blowouts, caused in turn by
earthquakes.
     "The problem there will be to predict times and depths
to remove contaminated soil before groundwater aquifers are
polluted," says Guiguer.
     WHS has also been involved in safeguarding water
supplies threatened by leaking hydrocarbons from gas station
storage tanks in Brazil (a worrisome problem in North Amer
ica as well).