W.W. Wheeler & Associates

What W.W. Wheeler & Associates does

W.W. Wheeler & Associates, Inc. is an engineering consulting firm founded in 1955 by William W. "Pete" Wheeler and headquartered at 3700 South Inca Street in Englewood, Colorado. The firm provides specialized professional engineering services across four interconnected practice areas: Water Rights & Resources, Dams, Water Conveyance Systems, and Geotechnical Engineering. Its work addresses planning, analysis, design, construction administration, safety evaluation, and risk assessment for water systems serving municipal, agricultural, industrial, energy, and wildlife uses, with a particular focus on prior-appropriation water rights administration, dam safety compliance, and Western U.S. water infrastructure.

The firm serves a multi-state client base that includes federal agencies (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service), municipalities and water districts (Denver Water, Town of Breckenridge, Colorado River Water Conservation District), energy and mining companies (Xcel Energy, Freeport-McMoRan, Tri-State Generation, Idaho Falls Power, Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining), agricultural irrigation districts, and non-profit organizations (The Nature Conservancy, ASDSO). Service delivery is built on customized project teams assembled for each assignment, with direct principal-level client engagement throughout the project lifecycle.

Technically, the firm employs state-of-the-art hydrologic and hydraulic modeling software (HEC-1, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, HEC-6, SWMM, CUHP, TR55, SITES, FLO-2D), transient analysis tools (Pipe2010), pipe network modeling (WATERCAD), and GIS, alongside internally developed specialized models for river routing, river operation, stream depletion analysis (Glover techniques), water rights accounting, and consumptive use analyses. The firm has been awarded National IDIQ Dam Safety Contracts with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2010 and 2015, holds FERC Part 12D Independent Consultant approvals, and has earned ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards, APWA National Environmental Project of the Year, and PBS Nova / National Geographic features for the Ziegler Reservoir project. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees; no revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

W.W. Wheeler & Associates

Legal name

W. W. Wheeler & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://wwwheeler.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

W.W. Wheeler & Associates is a privately held water resources, water rights, dams, water conveyance, and geotechnical engineering consulting firm founded in 1955, serving federal, state, municipal, mining, energy, agricultural, and non-profit clients across 35 U.S. states from its Englewood, Colorado office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resources Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

Keywords

• Water resources engineering
• Dam safety consulting
• Water rights engineering
• Geotechnical engineering services
• Water conveyance design

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Engineering Services: Engineering consulting firm providing professional services including planning, analysis, design, construction administration, and operations assessments for water resources projects. Revenue generated through consulting fees for engineering services across water rights, dams, water conveyance, and geotechnical engineering disciplines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

W.W. Wheeler & Associates is an engineering consulting firm that provides specialized professional engineering services across four practice areas: Water Rights & Resources (water rights studies, water supply planning, augmentation plans, expert witness testimony), Dams (feasibility through construction administration, safety evaluations, risk assessments, emergency action plans), Water Conveyance Systems (pipelines, penstocks, pump stations, channels, diversion structures), and Geotechnical Engineering (foundation investigations, slope stability, retaining wall systems, lined reservoir design). Services are delivered on a project basis to government, mining, energy, agricultural, industrial, nonprofit, and private clients across 35 U.S. states.

Product overview

W.W. Wheeler & Associates is an engineering consulting firm offering specialized professional engineering services organized around four interconnected practice areas: Water Rights & Resources, Dams, Water Conveyance Systems, and Geotechnical Engineering. The Water Rights & Resources service provides water rights studies, supply planning, valuation, augmentation plans, and expert testimony. The Dams service offers complete life-cycle dam engineering from feasibility through construction administration and safety evaluations. Water Conveyance Systems covers design of pipelines, pump stations, channels, and hydraulic structures using computer models and GIS. Geotechnical Engineering supports the other practices with foundation investigations, slope stability, hazard assessments, and specialized wall and liner systems. Together, these services address water systems needed to sustain human and wildlife populations and natural resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Rights & Resources Services Engineering consulting services for water rights studies, water supply planning, water rights valuation, augmentation plans, expert witness testimony, water conservation planning, surface water hydrology, groundwater analyses, and well permitting. Delivered for government, industrial, agricultural, nonprofit, and private attorney clients.
• Dams Engineering Services Complete life-cycle dam engineering services including feasibility designs, final designs, construction administration, inspections, field investigations, dam safety evaluations, risk assessments, dam breach inundation mapping, hazard classifications, and emergency action plans. Includes spillway and outlet works design, inflow design flood hydrology, and dam safety training.
• Water Conveyance Systems Services Engineering design, evaluation, and construction of water conveyance systems including pipelines, penstocks, pump stations, open channels, diversion structures, levees, floodplain mapping, tailing delivery, valves and gates, and instrumentation and monitoring. Computer modeling and GIS used for evaluation of complex problems.
• Geotechnical Engineering Services Geotechnical engineering services supporting the firm's dams and water conveyance practices, plus standalone services: foundation investigations, supporting analysis and design for dams, seepage and slope stability evaluations, geologic mapping and hazard assessments, landslide stabilization, rockfall mitigation, lined reservoir and impoundment design, retaining wall systems (soil nail, rock anchor, MSE walls, reinforced soil slopes), and instrumentation and monitoring.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed hundreds of dam engineering projects in more than 25 different states
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015One of three firms awarded a National IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity) Dam Safety Contract for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Dams in 2015 (and previously in 2010). This contract allows the firm to provide dam safety engineering services on an as-needed basis for USFWS dams nationwide.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with extensive water resources, dams, and geotechnical practices serving mining, energy, and government clients. Direct competitor on large projects, though broader portfolio spans all infrastructure sectors.
• GHD: Global engineering consulting firm with strong water resources, dam engineering, and geotechnical practices. Comparable in Western U.S. mining and municipal water work, with broader geographic and service footprint.
• Michael Baker International: Engineering consulting firm with major water resources, dams, and transportation infrastructure practices serving federal, state, and municipal clients. Larger competitor on dam safety IDIQ contracts and water conveyance projects.
• Stantec: Global engineering consulting firm with major water resources, dams, and geotechnical practices serving municipal, mining, and energy clients across North America. Direct competitor on dam safety and water conveyance work, but with broader service portfolio.
• HDR Inc. Large multi-disciplinary engineering firm with substantial water resources, dams, and geotechnical practices serving federal, state, and municipal clients. Competitor for federal IDIQ contracts and large dam safety programs, but broader portfolio dilutes focus on Wheeler's specific niche.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with leading water, environment, and dams practices serving federal agencies and mining/energy clients. Overlaps significantly with Wheeler on water resources and dam safety assignments, but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Carollo Engineers: Employee-owned engineering firm specializing exclusively in water and wastewater, with strong dam, water rights, and water resources practices. Highly comparable niche-focused business model serving similar municipal, agricultural, and industrial clients across the Western U.S.
• RESPEC: Engineering consulting firm specializing in water resources, mining, and infrastructure with strong dam and geotechnical practices. Comparable size and niche focus, with overlapping client base in Western U.S. mining and government sectors.
• GEI Consultants: Engineering and scientific consulting firm with strong water resources, dam safety, and geotechnical practices serving government, hydropower, and mining clients. Closely comparable specialist firm of similar size.
• Brown and Caldwell: Specialized water and environmental engineering consulting firm focused on water resources, water rights, and infrastructure for municipalities and industrial clients. Directly comparable specialist firm with similar client mix and project types.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 W.W. Wheeler & Associates