Water on the go

While it has become a successful add-on, the water truck service offered by Cornerstone Solutions Group was started to help the company’s core landscaping business. Cornerstone offers water truck services for everything from home builder construction sites to swimming pool fills and a high pressure washing system for needs ranging from graffiti removal to driveway and sidewalk cleaning.

“It was during the boom time in home building that we realized adding a water truck would increase our ability to get more trees and shrubs into the ground,” says Peter Klinkenberg, Cornerstone’s director of business development. “It allowed us to do more xeriscape packages for people that wouldn’t need permanent in-ground irrigation and even to do plantings for properties that didn’t have the irrigation system up and running yet.”

Klinkenberg says that the company had rented a water truck for so long that it just made sense to buy one. It has really helped keep jobs moving, as they’re never held up by the construction process.

“If a builder knows they’re a little behind they appreciate that we can come in and still start planting trees and working on the landscape before the water source is secure and ready,” he says. “That’s a big convenience and our clients appreciate it. A lot of builders don’t want to permanently install an irrigation system but they know we need water for the plants and sod. By offering this service, we can get the water we need for the few months that we need it. That saves the builder money in the long run and keeps them happy.”

The company currently maintains two 2,000-gallon tankers, as well as a couple of smaller water trucks. Klinkenberg admits that water trucks are not cheap to buy and can be expensive to maintain. He says that other companies considering this segment should do their research upfront. “Like anything else in business, if you can identify a need, it might be worth the expense,” he says. “You just have to know what you’re getting into and whether there’s a market for it.”