Water Audit California

What Water Audit California does

Water Audit California is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation headquartered in Napa, founded in 2016, that operates as an environmental advocacy and public interest litigation organization enforcing the public trust doctrine and California Fish and Game Code Section 5937 in water management decisions. The organization files lawsuits against municipalities, water districts, irrigation districts, and counties — including the City of Bakersfield, Merced Irrigation District, City of St. Helena, Nevada Irrigation District, and Napa County — to compel adequate water flows for fish populations, fish passage at dams, dam removal, and groundwater monitoring. It is led by Director Grant Reynolds and supported by a scientific advisory board that includes Dr. Peter Moyle of UC Davis.

The organization's core products and initiatives include the "Bring Back the Kern" litigation campaign, Merced River fish passage advocacy, Napa Valley water stewardship work, the annual Napa Water Forum, and The Refugia Project (an open-source ecological data initiative for Napa Valley ecosystems). Its technology approach centers on scientific monitoring, stream flow analysis, public records requests, and community organizing rather than commercial software products. The organization's "platform" is the Refugia Project, which aggregates open-source data about Napa Valley ecosystems to support environmental decision-making.

Water Audit California's business model is that of a nonprofit public benefit corporation rather than a commercial entity. Revenue appears to derive from organizational operations, potentially including donations, grants, and legal advocacy activities, though no revenue figures, funding rounds, or financial disclosures are available in source materials. The organization relies on pro bono legal support (notably from Morrison Foerster, which joined in September 2024) and coalition partnerships with organizations including California Trout, Center for Biological Diversity, and Save Napa Valley Foundation to execute its litigation and advocacy strategy.

Name

Water Audit California

Legal name

Water Audit California

Website

https://waterauditca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Water Audit California is a Napa-based nonprofit public benefit corporation that files public interest litigation and advocacy campaigns to enforce California's public trust doctrine and Fish and Game Code Section 5937, compelling water agencies to maintain adequate flows for fish populations across multiple California watersheds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy Services

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB), Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Environmental advocacy
• Public trust litigation
• Water resource management
• Watershed conservation
• Environmental law services

Headquarters

HQ city

Napa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Benefit Corporation Operations: Water Audit California operates as a California public benefit corporation focused on environmental advocacy and public trust enforcement. Revenue appears to come from organizational operations, potentially including donations, grants, and legal advocacy activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Water Audit California is a California public benefit corporation that conducts public interest litigation and advocacy to enforce the California Public Trust Doctrine and Fish and Game Code Section 5937, which requires adequate water flows to keep fish below dams in good condition. The organization files lawsuits against cities, counties, water districts, and irrigation districts, while also operating community education programs such as the Napa Water Forum and The Refugia Project open-source ecological data initiative.

Product overview

Water Audit California is a California public benefit corporation serving as an environmental advocacy organization rather than a traditional product company. Its core offering consists of public interest litigation to enforce California's Public Trust Doctrine and Fish and Game Code section 5937, which requires sufficient water flows to keep fish in good condition. The organization conducts advocacy campaigns including the 'Bring Back The Kern' initiative against City of Bakersfield, Merced River fish passage litigation, and Napa Valley water stewardship efforts. It also operates educational programs including the Napa Water Forum and maintains The Refugia Project, which organizes open-source ecological data for Napa Valley. These initiatives are interconnected through the organization's mission to protect California's water resources through legal action, public advocacy, and community education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Refugia Project: An initiative organizing and making accessible open-source data about Napa Valley ecosystems, arising from the Napa Water Forum's principle 'In Data We Trust'.
• Napa Water Forum

Products and services

• Bring Back The Kern
• Merced River Fish Passage Advocacy
• Napa Valley Water Stewardship
• The Refugia Project
• Napa Water Forum

Quantifiable outcome

• Obtained preliminary injunction requiring 40% of Kern River flow to remain in river for fish
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Save Napa Valley FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2023Co-host of the 2023 Napa Water Forum to share findings and proposals with the public on water management and the Refugia Project. Partnership focuses on collaborative advocacy for Napa Valley water resources.
• California TroutmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiled amicus brief in support of plaintiffs in Bring Back the Kern v. City of Bakersfield case. Both organizations advocate for healthy rivers and fish protection in California waterways.
• Center for Biological DiversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-plaintiff in Bring Back the Kern lawsuit against City of Bakersfield. Environmental organization focused on protecting fish and wildlife habitats.
• Dr. Peter Moyle (UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistinguished Professor Emeritus serves as scientific advisor. Endorsed California's Salmon Strategy as aligning with Water Audit goals. Provides academic expertise and credibility to organization's scientific approaches.
• The Refugia ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative initiative organized by Water Audit California and partners to organize open-source ecological data for Napa Valley ecosystems. Part of the 2023 Napa Water Forum programming.
• Growers and Vintners for Responsible AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of the 2020 Napa Water Forum. Represents a coalition of agricultural stakeholders interested in sustainable water practices.
• Napa Vision 2050minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of the 2020 Napa Water Forum. Community coalition focused on long-term sustainability planning for Napa Valley.
• Morrison FoerstermajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInternational law firm joined the legal team representing Water Audit California and co-plaintiffs in the Kern River lawsuit against the City of Bakersfield in September 2024. Provides pro bono legal representation in environmental litigation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Save Napa Valley Foundation: Napa-focused advocacy nonprofit that co-hosts the Napa Water Forum with Water Audit California. Directly comparable as a local nonprofit coalition partner in water resource and land-use advocacy in the same geography.
• California Trout: California-focused nonprofit that protects and restores wild trout, steelhead, and salmon and their waters. Co-amici in Bring Back the Kern and works on parallel California waterway advocacy, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Earthjustice: The largest nonprofit environmental law organization in the U.S., active in California water and public trust cases. Comparable because it pursues precedent-setting environmental litigation often with a similar private attorney general posture.
• Center for Biological Diversity: National nonprofit that uses litigation, scientific advocacy, and creative media to protect endangered species and wild places. Co-plaintiff with Water Audit California in the Kern River suit and operates with an identical public-interest litigation model.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Resources Defense Council: National environmental advocacy organization with substantial California water and climate work. Comparable as a broad incumbent that engages in water policy, litigation, and science-based advocacy at much larger scale.
• Environmental Defense Fund: Major national environmental nonprofit that uses science, economics, and law to address environmental challenges, including California water management. Comparable as a large-scale incumbent in environmental advocacy with significant California water footprint.
• Sierra Club: One of the largest and oldest U.S. environmental organizations with active California water and public lands advocacy. Comparable as a broad-based environmental advocacy incumbent that overlaps with Water Audit California on water resource and ecosystem protection campaigns.

Regional players

• Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations: West Coast trade association representing commercial fishing families on water and salmon policy issues. Comparable as a regional water/fishery advocacy organization whose mission overlaps with protecting instream flows for fish, though it represents industry rather than environmental interests.

Others

• Morrison Foerster: Global law firm that provides pro bono representation to Water Audit California in the Kern River litigation. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler (legal services provider) rather than a competitor; relevant as a key partnership that materially shapes the company's litigation capacity.

Emerging players

• Environmental Law Foundation: California-based environmental nonprofit that uses litigation and advocacy to address pollution and natural resource issues. Comparable as a public-interest environmental legal advocacy group operating in California, though with a broader pollution focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waterauditca
• Facebookfacebook.com/waterauditca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Water Audit California