Nautilus Environmental

What Nautilus Environmental does

Nautilus Environmental, Inc. is a San Diego-based aquatic ecotoxicology laboratory founded in 2004 that provides accredited toxicity testing and consulting services across water, sediment, soil, product, and chemical matrices. The company operates six integrated service modules — Compliance Monitoring (whole effluent toxicity for NPDES permits), Dredge Material Analysis, Risk Assessment & Special Studies, Product Evaluation, Consulting Services, and Toxicity Identification (TIE/TRE) — delivered from a single multi-agency accredited facility. Accreditations span NELAP, California ELAP, Oregon ELAP, Washington Department of Ecology, Texas TCEQ, and USDA APHIS, giving the laboratory regulatory recognition across multiple western U.S. states and the ability to receive international soil samples.

The company sells professional services on a quote-based, project-by-project basis with Net 30 terms to a diversified B2B client base including environmental consulting and engineering firms, ports and harbors, federal/municipal/local agencies, petrochemical and energy companies, and industrial manufacturers. GTM is sales-led, supported by regulatory engagement (active participation in The NELAC Institute WET Expert Committee, SETAC, and CSEA) and a content marketing presence through its website and Insights blog. Notable client engagements include a major California port (10+ year NPDES compliance support), a pulp and paper mill (Water Effect Ratio study that eased permit limitations), an environmental consulting partnership (sediment spiking study accepted without qualification by a regulator), and Project Vesta (olivine ecotoxicity evaluation for carbon sequestration).

Effective January 6, 2025, Nautilus Environmental was acquired by IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group and operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within IEH's diversified analytical testing platform covering food, water, wastewater, and pharmaceutical testing. The company maintains a strategic partnership with its Canadian counterpart, Nautilus Environmental Company, creating a transcontinental operational footprint. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Nautilus Environmental

Legal name

Nautilus Environmental, Inc.

Website

https://nautilusenvironmental.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nautilus Environmental is an IEH-owned, NELAP-accredited aquatic ecotoxicology laboratory in San Diego providing WET testing, dredge material analysis, TIE/TRE, and regulatory consulting to ports, agencies, and industrial clients across the US, Canada, and the Pacific Rim.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wastewater & Industrial Effluent Monitoring (NPDES/Permit Compliance) (EUAHACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB), Soil & Sediment Sampling (Contaminants, Nutrients, Metals) (EUAHACAF), Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH), Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC)

Keywords

• Ecotoxicity laboratory testing
• Whole effluent toxicity
• NPDES compliance monitoring
• Dredge material analysis
• Environmental consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: Professional laboratory services for environmental toxicity testing including whole effluent toxicity testing, sediment analysis, and product evaluation. Services are provided on a project basis with quotes based on scope of work.
2. Consulting Services: Technical consulting services including permit review, TRE preparation, regulatory policy review, third-party data review, QA auditing, and study design.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Nautilus Environmental is an aquatic ecotoxicology testing laboratory that provides whole effluent toxicity, sediment, soil, product, and chemical matrix testing for environmental compliance and risk assessment. The company complements its lab work with consulting services covering permit interpretation, TRE/TRE preparation, study design, QA auditing, and regulatory engagement for commercial, federal, and municipal clients across the U.S., Canada, and the Pacific Rim.

Product overview

Nautilus Environmental offers a comprehensive suite of ecotoxicology laboratory testing services delivered through six integrated service modules: Compliance Monitoring (routine WET testing for NPDES compliance), Dredge Material Analysis (biological and chemical testing for dredged materials), Risk Assessment & Special Studies (site-specific criteria development), Product Evaluation (environmental hazard assessment for products), Consulting Services (regulatory support and permit guidance), and Toxicity Identification (TIE/TRE studies to identify causes of toxicity). These services are supported by their multi-agency accredited analytical chemistry laboratory in San Diego, CA, which conducts a full range of toxicity testing for water, sediment, soil, product, and chemical matrices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Compliance Monitoring Routine whole effluent toxicity (WET) testing services on effluents, stormwater runoff, ambient and receiving waters to support NPDES compliance, including marine and freshwater sediment toxicity testing for various monitoring programs.
• Dredge Material Analysis Biological and chemical testing services for freshwater, estuarine, and marine sediments and dredged materials, including flow-through testing systems for bio-accumulation testing, elutriates, and bioaccumulation for marine and inland dredged material testing.
• Risk Assessment & Special Studies Site-specific criteria development including water and sediment effect ratios, TMDLs, BMPs, and other environmental special studies such as soil assessments, drilling fluid evaluations, and treatment effectiveness studies.
• Product Evaluation Environmental product evaluation services including GHS classification testing, safety data sheet development, product formulation studies, testing for product registration, and bio-accumulation studies.
• Consulting Services Environmental toxicity consulting services including permit interpretation and negotiation, TRE preparation and execution, third-party data review, QA auditing, study design, and risk assessment consulting.
• Toxicity Identification Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) studies combining toxicity testing with chemical and physical fractionation procedures to identify specific constituents responsible for toxicity in water, sediment, and soil samples.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prevented over 30 accelerated tests over two years through targeted TIE approach, realizing cost savings of tens of thousands of dollars
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IEH Laboratories & Consulting GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 January 2025IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group acquired Nautilus Environmental's San Diego lab facility. The laboratory is now operated as Nautilus Environmental, Inc. and is part of the IEH family of companies specializing in analytical testing for food, water, wastewater, and pharmaceutical industries. Nautilus Environmental partners closely with its Canadian counterpart, Nautilus Environmental Company.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ALS Global (ALS Environmental): International testing services group with a substantial environmental laboratory network offering water, sediment, soil, and ecotoxicology testing. Competes with Nautilus on multi-region NPDES and sediment projects at larger scale.
• IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group: Parent company and diversified analytical testing platform serving food, water, wastewater, and pharmaceutical industries. As the acquirer of Nautilus, IEH represents both a parent relationship and a broader-scope peer with overlapping water/wastewater testing capabilities.
• Pace Analytical Services: National environmental and life sciences testing laboratory providing water, wastewater, and sediment testing services. Competes with Nautilus on NPDES compliance and industrial discharge testing programs.
• SGS Environmental Services: Global testing, inspection, and certification company offering environmental laboratory services including water quality, sediment, and ecotoxicology testing — competing with Nautilus on international and large industrial accounts.
• Eurofins Environment Testing (TestAmerica): Largest U.S. environmental testing network offering comprehensive water, wastewater, sediment, and bioassay services. Competes with Nautilus for NPDES compliance and sediment toxicity testing, particularly on large national accounts.

Direct peers

• EcoAnalysts: Environmental testing laboratory focused on aquatic toxicology, benthic and sediment assessments, and bioassessment services for municipal and industrial clients — comparable to Nautilus's NPDES compliance and sediment testing offerings.
• Pacific EcoRisk: Specialized environmental toxicology laboratory providing WET testing, sediment toxicity, TIE/TRE studies, and NPDES permit support — a close niche competitor to Nautilus in the Western U.S. ecotoxicology testing market.
• Nautilus Environmental Company: Canadian sister company and transatlantic counterpart to Nautilus Environmental, Inc. Provides aquatic ecotoxicology and NPDES-equivalent compliance testing under the same brand, operated as part of the IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group family alongside the U.S. entity.
• Aquatic Bioassay & Consulting Laboratories: California-based ecotoxicology laboratory offering whole effluent toxicity testing, sediment toxicity testing, TIE/TRE support, and NPDES compliance services — directly overlapping Nautilus's core service portfolio and customer segments.

Emerging players

• Brooks Applied Labs: Specialty environmental analytical laboratory focused on trace metals and emerging contaminants in water, sediment, and soil. Comparable to Nautilus in specialty niche scope, with adjacency on sediment and water quality testing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nautilus-environmental

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Nautilus Environmental