Lotus Water
San Francisco-based water resources and civil engineering design firm serving public agencies, utilities, and municipalities with integrated stormwater, green infrastructure, water reuse, and climate adaptation services across California, the Pacific Northwest, and Vancouver. Acquired by BKF Engineers in March 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Lotus Water does
Lotus Water is a San Francisco-based water resources and civil engineering design firm founded in 2007 (originally as Sustainable Watershed Designs) by Scott W. Durbin. The firm delivers six integrated service lines: Green Infrastructure, Flood Resilience and Climate Adaptation, Stormwater Policy and Program Development, Integrated Capital Planning, Water Reuse, and Civil Engineering Design. Its core technology stack comprises hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, BMP sizing calculators, and proprietary decision-support tools (including the Watershed Planning Game used by 300+ participants, a GI Parcel Scorecard, and a monitoring protocol that reduced green street monitoring costs by 40%). Lotus Water operates as a fee-for-service professional consultancy under project-based contracts awarded through competitive bidding and direct engagement with public agencies, with services spanning from site-scale designs to city-scale capital programs.
The firm serves public agencies (notably SFPUC, Seattle Public Utilities, City of San Jose, King County Wastewater Treatment Division, Port of San Francisco, San Francisco International Airport, City of Vancouver), utilities, municipalities, and a small set of private developers and institutions including the California College of the Arts. Its multidisciplinary teams combine civil engineers, urban planners, and landscape architects to deliver integrated solutions that quantify multiple benefits — water supply, water quality, flood reduction, and climate resilience — against client goals. Geographic reach spans the San Francisco Bay Area, broader California, the Pacific Northwest, the Rockies, the East Coast, and Vancouver, BC. As of March 2026, Lotus Water was acquired by BKF Engineers and continues to operate as a standalone entity within BKF's Water Resources practice.
Lotus Water firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lotus Water
- Legal name
- Lotus Water
- Website
- https://lotuswater.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- San Francisco-based water resources and civil engineering design firm serving public agencies, utilities, and municipalities with integrated stormwater, green infrastructure, water reuse, and climate adaptation services across California, the Pacific Northwest, and Vancouver. Acquired by BKF Engineers in March 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lotus Water industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Water Resources Engineering Consulting
- NAICS
- Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)
Keywords
Where Lotus Water is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lotus Water business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering and consulting services provided to public agencies, utilities, and municipalities for water resources projects. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts for planning, design, and implementation of water management infrastructure. The firm operates on a fee-for-service basis with projects ranging from site-specific designs to large-scale municipal programs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Lotus Water product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lotus Water is a water resources and civil engineering design firm that delivers planning, design, permitting, and construction oversight services for stormwater management, green infrastructure, flood resilience, water reuse, and integrated capital improvement projects. The firm serves public agencies, utilities, municipalities, and select private developers across the western United States and Canada, combining civil engineering, urban planning, and proprietary technical tools to address complex water and climate challenges.
Product overview
Lotus Water is a water resources and civil engineering design firm offering six integrated service areas: Green Infrastructure, Flood Resilience + Climate Adaptation, Stormwater Policy + Program Development, Integrated Capital Planning, Water Reuse, and Civil Engineering Design. The firm specializes in stormwater management, flood resilience, climate adaptation, and integrated water systems planning, combining multidisciplinary civil engineering and urban planning expertise to deliver projects from site scale to city scale.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Green Infrastructure
Quantifiable outcome
- 68% women workforce representing strong diversity in technical field
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Lotus Water
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lotus Water technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Lotus Water partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BKF EngineerscoreBKF Engineers, a leading planning, engineering, surveying, and construction management firm specializing in Transportation, Water, Development, and Government Markets across the western United States, acquired Lotus Water in March 2026. The acquisition creates a significantly larger water resources practice and expands BKF's strategic presence in California and the Pacific Northwest. Lotus Water will operate as a standalone legal and operating entity within the BKF family of companies while contributing to the firm's broader Water Resources practice.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lotus Water competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a substantial Water practice serving municipalities across North America. Larger incumbent that competes for the same integrated water planning mandates at greater scale.
- AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm with a major Water business unit delivering stormwater, flood resilience, and water reuse projects to public agencies. Largest-scale incumbent competitor for marquee public-sector integrated water mandates.
Direct peers
- BKF Engineers: BKF Engineers is the parent company that acquired Lotus Water in March 2026 and operates an overlapping water resources, civil engineering, and surveying practice across the western US. Most direct counterpart given shared water-reservices service lines and now shared corporate parent.
- Woodard & Curran: Woodard & Curran is an integrated engineering, operations, and science firm focused on water, wastewater, and environmental infrastructure for municipalities. Comparable mid-size firm with similar public-agency focus and integrated water management positioning.
- Carollo Engineers: Carollo Engineers is a specialized US water and wastewater engineering firm of similar size and reputation, focused exclusively on water treatment, reuse, and conveyance. Closely comparable specialist boutique serving municipal utilities with comparable technical depth.
- Brown and Caldwell: Brown and Caldwell is a large employee-owned environmental engineering consultancy specializing in water, wastewater, and stormwater for municipal and industrial clients. Direct competitor on integrated water and stormwater planning RFPs with overlapping public-sector client base.
- Hazen and Sawyer: Hazen and Sawyer is a specialized water and wastewater engineering firm with deep public-utility client relationships across the US. Direct competitor for SFPUC, King County, and similar municipal water-resource planning and design mandates.
- Geosyntec Consultants: Geosyntec Consultants is an environmental and water-resources engineering and science firm with strong stormwater, green infrastructure, and remediation practices. Direct competitor on green infrastructure and urban stormwater mandates, particularly in California.
- Schaaf & Wheeler: Schaaf & Wheeler is a Bay Area civil and water resources engineering consultancy specializing in hydrology, hydraulics, and stormwater for municipal clients. Direct local peer competing for SF Bay Area municipal water and stormwater work.
- Kjeldsen Sinnock Neudeck (KSN): KSN is a California-based civil engineering and surveying firm with water resources, flood control, and municipal infrastructure practices. Direct regional competitor in Northern California for civil/water engineering public-sector work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lotus Water social profiles
Digital presenceLotus Water financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lotus Water leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Lotus Water funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lotus Water M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lotus Water
What does Lotus Water do?
Lotus Water is a water resources and civil engineering design firm that delivers planning, design, permitting, and construction oversight services for stormwater management, green infrastructure, flood resilience, water reuse, and integrated capital improvement projects. The firm serves public agencies, utilities, municipalities, and select private developers across the western United States and Canada, combining civil engineering, urban planning, and proprietary technical tools to address complex water and climate challenges.
Is Lotus Water a public or private company?
Lotus Water is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Lotus Water founded?
Lotus Water was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lotus Water based?
Lotus Water is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lotus Water make money?
One revenue line is on record: engineering Consulting Services.
Who are Lotus Water's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Stantec and AECOM. Direct peers are BKF Engineers, Woodard & Curran, Carollo Engineers, Brown and Caldwell, Hazen and Sawyer, Geosyntec Consultants, Schaaf & Wheeler and Kjeldsen Sinnock Neudeck (KSN).
Does Lotus Water have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lotus Water.
What industry is Lotus Water in?
Lotus Water's product category is Water Resources Engineering Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAD, Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAIACAG, Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration. Its NAICS code is 2213 and its SIC code is 8700.