Waterways

What Waterways does

Waterways is a privately held water resources engineering and environmental consulting firm with offices in Santa Cruz, California and Portland, Oregon. The firm specializes in surface water restoration, with a service portfolio that includes fish-passage engineering, floodplain reconnection, dam removal design, large-wood structure installation, and process-based restoration such as beaver dam analog deployment. Its technical practice rests on 2-D hydraulic and sediment transport modeling, GIS, custom geologic mapping, and field-based design, delivered by a multidisciplinary staff that includes licensed professional engineers, PhD-level geoscientists, and biologists.

The firm serves a West Coast client base composed of federal agencies (BLM, NOAA, USFWS), state and municipal agencies (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, City of Portland, Valley Water, Town of Truckee), resource conservation districts (San Mateo RCD, Santa Clara RCD, San Lorenzo Valley Water District), and conservation nonprofits (American Rivers, Trout Unlimited). Work is delivered on a project basis, typically funded through public grants and capital budgets, with engagements ranging from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars each. Representative projects include the $2.3 million Fall Creek large-wood and fish-passage restoration with ODFW and the City of Portland, and the multi-million-dollar Linnton Mitigation Site for the City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services.

Waterways is principal-owned and operates without disclosed outside funding. The principals, Matt Weld and John Dvorsky, anchor a staff that includes senior engineers and scientists such as Daniel Malmon, with combined field experience of 25-30+ years. The firm has produced more than 100 restoration projects across its history, supported by 20+ peer-reviewed publications, and has invested in applied research on climate-driven hydrology and watershed recovery. Its competitive position rests on specialized expertise, direct agency relationships, and a track record with grant-funded public-sector delivery in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Name

Waterways

Legal name

Waterways Consulting, Inc.

Website

https://watways.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Waterways is a privately held water resources engineering and environmental consulting firm serving West Coast federal, state, municipal, and nonprofit clients with surface water restoration, fish-passage, floodplain reconnection, dam removal, and process-based restoration services from offices in Santa Cruz and Portland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resources Engineering and Environmental Consulting

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

Keywords

• River restoration engineering
• Water resources consulting
• Wetland restoration design
• Fish passage engineering
• Watershed science services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Environmental and Water Resources Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for river and wetland restoration, civil and water resources engineering, and watershed science. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements with government agencies, special districts, non-profit organizations, and private companies. Projects include planning, assessment, design, permitting support, construction oversight, and post-construction monitoring.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Waterways is a water resources engineering and environmental consulting firm specializing in the planning, assessment, design, permitting support, construction oversight, and post-construction monitoring of surface water restoration projects. The firm delivers river and wetland restoration, civil and water resources engineering, and watershed science and regulatory services to government agencies, special districts, non-profit organizations, and private companies on projects spanning the U.S. West Coast.

Product overview

Waterways Consulting is a water resources engineering and environmental consulting firm offering professional services rather than a software product. The company provides three core service lines: River and Wetland Restoration, Civil and Water Resources Engineering, and Watershed Science and Regulatory Services. These services are complemented by specialized offerings including Ecological Restoration Design, Construction Support Services, Land Surveying, and Natural Resource Management. The firm specializes in the planning, assessment, and design of surface water restoration projects, combining technical engineering expertise with ecological science to deliver restoration solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• River and Wetland Restoration
• Civil and Water Resources Engineering
• Watershed Science and Regulatory Services
• Ecological Restoration Design
• Construction Support Services
• Land Surveying
• Natural Resource Management

Quantifiable outcome

• Restored hydrologic, geomorphic and ecological processes on over 5 miles of the Coweeman River through construction of large wood structures
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cascade Environmental GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Waterways collaborates with Cascade Environmental Group on multiple projects including City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services geomorphic stream habitat assessments and Rinearson Creek Natural Area Restoration. Waterways leads geomorphic assessments while Cascade provides additional technical capabilities.
• Trout UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrout Unlimited partnered with Waterways on the Little Arthur Dam Removal project (removing Pickel Dam to restore anadromous fish passage) and Slinkard Creek Fish Barrier Project. Waterways provided planning, design, and implementation services for these restoration projects.
• American RiverscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAmerican Rivers hired Waterways for Faith Valley Meadow Restoration, identifying it as highest priority meadow for restoration in the Carson River watershed. Waterways completed baseline assessment and developed designs for habitat improvement in collaboration with US Forest Service.
• San Lorenzo Valley Water DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLVWD partnered with Waterways on the Fall Creek Fish Ladder Improvement Project, a $2.3 million effort to restore fish passage for steelhead, coho salmon, and native aquatic species. Waterways provided technical leadership and design services.
• California Department of Fish and WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFW partnered on Fall Creek Fish Ladder Improvement Project and Slinkard Creek Fish Barrier Project. Provided $1.1 million grant funding for Fall Creek project and collaborated on Lahontan Cutthroat Trout recovery efforts.
• NOAA FisheriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA Fisheries partnered with Waterways, SLVWD, and CDFW on the Fall Creek Fish Ladder Improvement Project to bring fish ladder up to modern fish passage and screening standards.
• United States Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSFWS partnered with ODFW on Klaskanine Hatchery Fish Passage Improvements and collaborated on Slinkard Creek Fish Barrier Project. Partnered with Waterways on Seestrom Floodplain Restoration in the Coquille River watershed.
• Columbia Soil and Water Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbia SWCD partnered with Waterways on Batwater Station Floodplain Enhancement Project and Clatskanie PUD Bank Stabilization. Waterways developed bioengineered bank stabilization solutions for Clatskanie River in collaboration with SWCD.
• Lower Columbia River Watershed CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCRWC partnered on Batwater Station Floodplain Enhancement Project, a collaborative effort to restore 32 acres of floodplain in the lower Columbia River.
• Lower Columbia Estuary PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLower Columbia Estuary Partnership collaborated on Batwater Station Floodplain Enhancement Project to restore tidal channel and wetland habitat.
• Bonneville Power AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPA partnered on Batwater Station Floodplain Enhancement Project, providing support for salmonid habitat restoration in the lower Columbia River.
• Clean Water ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClean Water Services partnered with Waterways and Tualatin SWCD on Gales Creek Assessment and Restoration Plan covering 24 miles of stream for Upper Willamette River steelhead recovery.
• Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSWCD partnered with Waterways and Clean Water Services on Gales Creek restoration planning, a high-priority effort for threatened Upper Willamette River steelhead recovery.
• Coquille Watershed AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoquille Watershed Association partnered with Waterways, USFWS, and ODFW on Seestrom Tidelands Restoration, a working lands project restoring tidal floodplain to 300 acres of pastureland.
• Clackamas River Basin CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRBC commissioned Waterways-led team (including Altap Restoration and Cascade Environmental Group) for Lower Clackamas River Restoration Assessment and preliminary designs for salmon habitat improvement.
• Truckee River Watershed CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTruckee River Watershed Council partnered with Town of Truckee and Truckee Development Corporation on Trout Creek Restoration, a multi-objective redevelopment project.
• Truckee Development CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTruckee Development Corporation partnered on Trout Creek Restoration with Town of Truckee and Watershed Council for downtown revitalization and environmental improvement.
• Peninsula Open Space TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPOST partnered with Sempervirens Fund and Waterways on Mill Creek Dam Removal in San Vicente Redwoods Preserve to enhance steelhead and coho salmon habitat.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Large global engineering consultancy with a water practice spanning watershed planning, stream restoration, and environmental services — a broad incumbent that competes with smaller restoration specialists on West Coast projects.
• Cardno (now Stantec): Environmental and engineering consulting firm with strong practice in watershed science, ecological restoration, and water resources engineering — larger scale competitor with overlapping service offerings.
• Tetra Tech: Global engineering and consulting firm with a large water and environment practice covering watershed restoration, fish passage, and water resources engineering — competes with Waterways for larger prime contracts but operates across many other sectors.

Direct peers

• Aspect Consulting: Earth science and engineering consulting firm specializing in water resources, geomorphology, and restoration, with a Pacific Northwest focus strongly overlapping Waterways' West Coast operating geography.
• Stillwater Sciences: Specialized aquatic ecology, hydrology, and geomorphology consulting firm offering river restoration, watershed science, and fish passage services across the western U.S. — essentially the closest direct head-to-head in services, customer base, and project types with Waterways.
• Northwest Hydraulic Consultants: Hydraulic and hydrologic engineering consultancy with deep expertise in river mechanics, sediment transport, and stream restoration — directly comparable to Waterways' hydraulic modeling and fluvial geomorphology work.
• River Design Group: Specialized stream restoration and geomorphology firm focused on process-based restoration, fish passage, and natural channel design — directly comparable core service offerings to Waterways.
• Anchor QEA: Waterfront and ecosystem restoration consultancy providing engineering, planning, and science services for habitat restoration, dam removal, and sediment management — comparable to Waterways' ecological restoration and fish passage work.

Emerging players

• Kleinschmidt Group: Engineering and science consulting firm specializing in fish passage, hydropower, and aquatic ecology — partially overlapping with Waterways' fish passage and salmonid restoration work.
• Natural Resources Consulting Engineers (NRCE): Specialized hydrology, hydraulics, and aquatic resource firm working in fish passage and stream restoration — a smaller niche competitor with overlapping expertise in Colorado/West, partially comparable to Waterways' discipline mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waterways-consulting-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Waterways