Aquatic Resources Management

What Aquatic Resources Management does

Aquatic Resources Management (ARM) is a privately held environmental consulting firm founded in 2008 and headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, with a second office in Madisonville, KY serving Western Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. The firm specializes in regulatory-driven ecological work under the Clean Water Act (Sections 401, 402, 404) and the Endangered Species Act, providing wetland delineations, water sample collection, endangered species surveys, ecological assessments, stream restoration design and implementation, and environmental permitting for industrial, residential, and resource extraction clients. Coal mining operators and Appalachian land development projects are explicitly named customer verticals, and President Josh Howard's seat on the Kentucky Coal Association board underscores the firm's positioning within that sector.

ARM's core technology stack includes the proprietary ARIS (Aquatic Resources Information System) — an internal database with a mobile iPad application that gives clients real-time access to project information and Discharge Monitoring Reports under USACE 402 permitting — plus an in-house environmental chemistry laboratory opened in 2013 that provides wet chemistry, ion chromatography, trace metal analysis, and soil analysis. Methodologically, the firm applies advanced multivariate statistics (PCA, CCA, NMDS) and Fuzzy Modeling within ArcGIS to evaluate ecological stressors and predict aquatic community responses, and it performs 3-D natural channel stream restoration design to support permit approvals.

The business is a project-based professional services firm with no publicly disclosed pricing; engagements are quoted per project and span permitting, field surveys, restoration, and lab analytics. Revenue derives from consulting fees on regulatory-driven assignments, with vertical segmentation across coal mining, land development, and resource extraction. ARM employs between 1 and 10 people, has no disclosed institutional funding, and operates as a closely held company led by founding principals Josh Howard (President) and Nick Baker (Vice President).

Name

Aquatic Resources Management

Legal name

Aquatic Resources Management, LLC

Website

https://aquaticresources.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aquatic Resources Management is a Lexington, Kentucky-based environmental consulting firm providing Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act permitting, wetland delineations, ecological surveys, stream restoration design, and on-site environmental chemistry laboratory services to industrial, residential, coal mining, and resource extraction clients across Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

Keywords

• Environmental consulting services
• Wetland delineation surveys
• Clean Water Act permitting
• Stream restoration design
• Ecological assessment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Environmental Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for environmental compliance including Clean Water Act Section 401, 402, and 404 permitting; Endangered Species Act compliance; stream and wetland delineation; ecological assessments; and restoration design and implementation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aquatic Resources Management is an environmental consulting firm that provides a unique combination of consulting services specialized for the interaction of people and the natural world. The firm delivers field services ranging from species surveys to stream restoration, while guiding clients through complicated regulatory processes under the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. Core offerings include wetland delineations, water sample collection, endangered species surveys, ecological assessments, state and federal permitting (USACE 404, 401 Water Quality Certification, KPDES), stream restoration design and implementation, and on-site environmental chemistry laboratory analytical services.

Product overview

Aquatic Resources Management (ARM) is an environmental consulting firm offering a combination of specialized consulting services for the interaction of people and the natural world. The company operates two primary offerings: (1) ARIS - a proprietary database system and mobile iPad application for managing environmental projects under the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, providing features such as Discharge Monitoring Reports management; and (2) an Environmental Chemistry Laboratory providing on-site analytical services including wet chemistry, ion chromatography, trace metal analysis, and soil analysis. Together these offerings enable ARM to provide a complete environmental permitting experience from data collection through regulatory compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARIS: Aquatic Resources Information System - iPad application for mobile environmental data management under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA), featuring project information access and Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR) management.

Products and services

• Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act Permitting Services Professional consulting services for environmental compliance including Clean Water Act Section 401 (Water Quality Certification), Section 402 (KPDES permits), and Section 404 (USACE) permitting, as well as Endangered Species Act compliance. Services support industrial, private, and residential clients requiring regulatory navigation for land development and resource extraction projects.
• Stream and Wetland Delineation Services Field services for delineating streams and wetlands, including jurisdictional determinations and compensatory mitigation planning, provided to industrial, private, and residential clients requiring compliance under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
• Stream Restoration Design and Implementation Stream restoration design and implementation services using natural channel design methodology, including 3-D Stream Restoration Design to help agencies, applicants, and property owners better understand restoration designs and facilitate approvals. Supports projects that have exceeded 2,000-5,000+ feet per project.
• Ecological Assessment and Endangered Species Surveys Field services including species surveys, macroinvertebrate identification, fish, amphibian, and reptile surveys, wetland vegetation identification, and ecological assessments for industrial, private, and residential clients requiring environmental compliance documentation.
• Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Services On-site analytical laboratory providing Clean Water Act-related analytical services including wet chemistry, ion chromatography, trace metal analysis, and soil analysis to support environmental permitting for industrial, private, and residential clients.
• ARIS (Aquatic Resources Information System) Proprietary internal database and mobile iPad application for management of projects under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA). Provides instant client access to project information, including Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) feature for managing hundreds of outfalls in USACE 402 permitting. Available as a free download in the Apple App Store.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducted stream restoration projects exceeding 2,000-5,000+ feet per project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Watershed Assessment Associates (WAA)minorOthers · 1 December 2011Robert Oney attended a 5-day workshop on Chironomidae identification hosted by WAA in Schenectady, New York. Training was taught by Kelly Nolan, WAA's Senior Aquatic Taxonomist.
• PEM 2011 ConferenceminorOthers · 19 August 2011Josh Howard presented information regarding a macroinvertebrate study titled 'A Holistic Multivariate Approach to Explaining Macroinvertebrate Variation in Appalachian Streams' at the PEM 2011 conference.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Brown and Caldwell: Environmental engineering and consulting firm focused on water and wastewater with expertise in CWA compliance, NPDES permitting, and ecological assessment — a closely aligned peer to ARM's water-focused environmental consulting niche.
• Civil & Environmental Consultants (CEC): Employee-owned environmental and geotechnical consulting firm providing ecological services, wetland delineation, permitting, and site assessment to industrial and development clients — comparable in size, ownership structure, and service mix to ARM.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: Mid-sized U.S. environmental consulting firm delivering ecological assessments, wetland delineation, permitting, and restoration services — directly comparable to ARM's CWA/ESA-focused practice, though at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Biohabitats: Ecological restoration consultancy with deep expertise in stream and wetland restoration, fluvial geomorphology, and watershed-scale assessments — directly comparable to ARM's stream restoration and ecological assessment practice.
• Kleinschmidt Associates: Employee-owned engineering and environmental consulting firm specializing in water resources, fisheries, and aquatic ecology for energy and infrastructure clients — closely aligned with ARM's aquatic-resources focus and regulatory expertise.

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Global leader in water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure consulting. Competes with ARM in CWA/ESA permitting, stream restoration, and ecological assessment, but operates across hundreds of offices with thousands of staff and a much wider service portfolio.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a substantial environment practice covering water resources, ecological restoration, and permitting. Overlaps with ARM on complex CWA/ESA projects, though AECOM's portfolio extends far beyond this niche.
• HDR Inc. Large employee-owned engineering and environmental services firm with significant water resources, ecological, and permitting practices. Competes with ARM on CWA/ESA work for infrastructure and development clients, but at vastly greater scale.
• Stantec: International engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a strong water resources and ecological restoration practice. Overlaps with ARM on CWA permitting, watershed assessment, and stream/wetland work, but serves global infrastructure clients.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): World's largest pure-play sustainability and environmental consulting firm, providing permitting, impact assessment, and ecological services to industrial clients — competes with ARM in CWA/ESA advisory work but with a global, multi-disciplinary footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Aquatic Resources Management