What Wright Water Engineers, Inc. does

Wright Water Engineers, Inc. (WWE) is a privately held, employee-owned water resources engineering consulting firm founded on May 1, 1961 by Principal Engineer Kenneth Wright and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with additional offices in Glenwood Springs (since 1974) and Durango (since 1990). The firm provides integrated water resources, environmental, and civil engineering services across the full project lifecycle — including hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, water quality analysis, stormwater management, groundwater engineering, ecological assessments, water rights evaluations, and regulatory compliance support — through a staff of approximately 50 credentialed professionals (engineers, hydrologists, scientists, biologists, chemists, geologists, and hydrogeologists, many with 15-20+ year tenures and certifications including P.E., PH, BC.WRE, CPESC, CFM, and CISEC).

WWE generates revenue exclusively through professional services engagements on a project basis, typically via scopes of work for engineering studies, designs, permitting, and construction-phase services. The firm sells directly into three primary segments: government/municipal clients (the primary segment, including municipalities, counties, water districts, and flood control districts such as the Mile High Flood District), private development clients (developers requiring water rights and permitting support), and agricultural clients (irrigation and water rights engineering). The firm maintains an active client list of approximately 150 organizations, many with 20+ year relationships, and supports thought leadership through publications, expert testimony, conference presentations, and a monthly newsletter ("Currents"). Notable marquee intellectual contributions include co-development of the International Stormwater BMP Database and the first Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual for the Denver region, both of which have served as national models for five decades.

The firm has accumulated an unusually deep award record for a 50-person consultancy, including the American Business Ethics Award, the Colorado Ethics in Business Award, multiple ASCE honors, EWRI Lifetime Achievement and Founders' awards for senior staff, and lifetime achievement recognition for founder Kenneth Wright. WWE holds no patents, has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, has not pursued M&A or external fundraising, and operates exclusively within the United States. Leadership is exercised through a Board of Directors that includes technical staff at the CEO, CFO, CAO, and senior vice president levels, signaling a stable, employee-governed professional services model focused on long-term client relationships rather than rapid scaling.

Name

Wright Water Engineers, Inc.

Legal name

Wright Water Engineers, Inc.

Website

https://wrightwater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wright Water Engineers is an employee-owned, Denver-based civil engineering consultancy founded in 1961, providing water resources, stormwater, groundwater, and water rights engineering services to roughly 150 government, municipal, private development, and agricultural clients across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resources Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB)

Keywords

• Water resources engineering
• Stormwater management consulting
• Flood control engineering
• Water rights consulting
• Environmental permitting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional consulting engineering services for water resources, environmental, and civil engineering projects. Services are provided to municipal, industrial, agricultural, and development clients on a project basis, typically involving scope of work agreements for specific engineering studies, designs, permitting, and construction phase services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wright Water Engineers, Inc. is a full-service water resources, environmental, and civil engineering consulting firm. It provides professional engineering services across storm drainage, flood control, water rights, water supply, stormwater quality, wastewater, groundwater, wetlands, ecological, stream restoration, post-wildfire hydrology, risk assessment, environmental permitting, and historic preservation to municipal, industrial, agricultural, and development clients throughout the United States.

Product overview

Wright Water Engineers, Inc. (WWE) is a full-service water resources, environmental, and civil engineering consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of engineering services rather than a software product platform. The company's service offerings include storm drainage and flood control, water rights, water supply, stormwater quality management, water quality and regulatory compliance, water conservation, wastewater, groundwater engineering, wetlands, ecological services, stream and watershed health, post-wildfire hydrology studies, erosion control, risk assessment, environmental permitting, and historic preservation planning. WWE also publishes a monthly newsletter (Currents) and maintains a library of research publications covering stormwater BMPs, water quality, hydrology, and related topics. The firm operates from offices in Denver, Glenwood Springs, and Durango, Colorado, serving clients throughout the United States since 1961.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Storm Drainage & Flood Control Services Engineering services for storm drainage system design, flood control infrastructure planning, and floodplain management for municipalities, counties, and flood control districts.
• Water Rights Services Water rights evaluations, due diligence, water rights accounting, water supply planning, and preparation of expert reports for water rights adjudications, for municipalities, agricultural clients, and private developers.
• Water Supply Services Water supply planning, well design and construction, aquifer testing, and water supply infrastructure development for municipal, agricultural, and industrial clients.
• Stormwater Quality Management Stormwater management plans, MS4 permitting, construction stormwater permitting, and post-construction stormwater requirements support for regulated municipalities and private developers.
• Water Quality & Regulatory Compliance Water quality assessment, monitoring, compliance with environmental regulations, and regulatory agency coordination for government, industrial, and development clients.
• Water Conservation & Efficiency Water conservation strategies, efficiency assessments, and sustainable water use planning for utilities, municipalities, and agricultural clients.
• Wastewater Services Wastewater collection systems, treatment infrastructure design, and related engineering for municipalities and private operators.
• Groundwater Engineering Hydrogeological assessments, groundwater modeling, aquifer analysis, and groundwater well design and specification for municipal, industrial, and development clients.
• Wetlands Services Wetland delineation, wetland mitigation, and wetland regulatory compliance services for development, infrastructure, and restoration projects.
• Ecological Services Environmental assessments, ecological impact studies, and ecosystem health evaluations for infrastructure, restoration, and permitting projects.
• Stream and Watershed Health Stream restoration, watershed health assessments, and river corridor management services for municipalities, watershed councils, and restoration sponsors.
• Post-Wildfire Hydrology Studies & Erosion Control Hydrological analysis of burned areas, erosion control design, and post-fire water quality assessment for federal, state, and local agencies.
• Risk Assessment/Hazard Mitigation/Safety Risk assessment for water-related hazards, dam safety evaluations, and hazard mitigation planning for dam owners, water districts, and public agencies.
• Environmental Permitting Environmental permitting assistance, regulatory compliance documentation, and agency coordination for development, infrastructure, and restoration projects.
• Historic Preservation Planning and Engineering Historical research and engineering analysis for preservation of culturally significant water infrastructure for cultural and governmental clients.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Geosyntec ConsultantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the International Stormwater Best Management Practices Database in partnership with the Water Research Foundation. WWE contributed to this comprehensive database with Geosyntec.
• Water Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on the International Stormwater BMP Database research project. WWE contributed expertise to this industry-leading stormwater research initiative.
• Mile High Flood DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership including creation of the Mile High Flood District and development of the first Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual. WWE continues to work with the District on various projects.
• Middle Colorado Watershed CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Roan Creek Fish Barrier Project. WWE project manager Scott Schreiber contributed to this innovative project celebrating Earth Day.
• Engineering Organizations CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWWE has joined with a coalition of engineering and dam safety organizations to help the public understand low head dam hazards and the hidden danger they present.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Anderson Consulting Engineers (now part of Consor): Water and wastewater engineering firm with strong municipal presence in the Western U.S. Comparable niche specialization to WWE in water resources, though typically more focused on treatment plant design.
• Matrix Design Group: Colorado-based engineering and consulting firm with water resources, stormwater, and environmental services. Most direct geographic peer to WWE, serving similar Colorado municipal clients with overlapping technical capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• HDR, Inc. Large, employee-owned engineering and architecture firm with substantial water resources practice serving municipalities on stormwater, flood control, and water supply projects. Comparable to WWE in ownership model and core service lines, but operates at national scale with thousands of staff.
• Tetra Tech: Large engineering and consulting firm with deep water resources and environmental compliance practices serving public agencies. Comparable service offerings to WWE (stormwater, water quality, hydrology) but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a major water practice serving municipalities on water supply, stormwater, and flood control. Overlaps WWE on water resources services but operates as a broad multi-disciplinary incumbent.

Direct peers

• Brown and Caldwell: Specialized environmental engineering consulting firm focused on water and wastewater services for municipalities and utilities. Directly comparable to WWE in core service offerings (stormwater, water supply, environmental compliance) and target customer base of public agencies.
• Carollo Engineers: Employee-owned water and wastewater engineering firm exclusively focused on water services for municipal and private clients. Highly comparable to WWE in specialization, ownership structure, and service mix (treatment, stormwater, water rights-adjacent planning).
• Hazen and Sawyer: Employee-owned engineering firm specializing in water, wastewater, and stormwater for municipal utilities. Comparable to WWE in niche specialization, ownership model, and government client focus, with broader geographic reach.
• Geosyntec Consultants: Specialty environmental and water resources engineering consulting firm with deep expertise in stormwater BMPs and watershed management. WWE's actual collaboration partner on the International Stormwater BMP Database per partnership records, indicating overlapping technical practices and customer profiles.

Emerging players

• Kleinfelder: Engineering, scientific, and construction management firm with water resources and environmental services. Comparable to WWE on stormwater, groundwater, and environmental compliance work, with broader infrastructure capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wrightwater
• Facebookfacebook.com/wright-water-engineers-inc-110902598942075
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1213955

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Wright Water Engineers, Inc.