WRM Water & Environment

What WRM Water & Environment does

WRM Water and Environment is an Australian employee-owned specialist consultancy providing surface water engineering services across all facets of flood risk, water management, and environmental water management. Founded in Brisbane in 2003 and expanded with a Darwin office in 2018, the firm serves clients in all Australian states and territories across four primary verticals: energy and resources (Glencore, Santos, Maules Creek Coal, Lake Vermont, Finniss Lithium), government (Mackay Regional Council, Gold Coast City Council, QLD Department of Transport and Main Roads), infrastructure development (Wagners, Wellcamp Airport), and legal and insurance matters.

The company's technical delivery is built on industry-standard hydrologic and hydraulic modelling platforms — GoldSim for water balance, URBS for catchment hydrology, TUFLOW for 2D flood modelling, XP-RAFTS and MUSIC for stormwater, and QGIS/12D/Civil 3D for spatial analysis — combined with proprietary project databases (over 145,000 Brisbane River floodplain buildings, 1,500+ Darwin CBD pipe segments, 70+ NT road crossings modelled). Service lines span flood modelling, floodplain management, mine site water management, environmental impact assessment, hydraulic design, stormwater management, climate change consulting, renewable energy support, river engineering, and expert witness testimony.

WRM operates on a fee-for-service professional consulting model with project-based pricing, generates revenue through direct enterprise engagement with government agencies and resource companies, and markets primarily via technical reputation, principal visibility through expert witness work, and long-tenured client relationships. The firm is led by co-founder/Director Greg Roads, COO Sharon Wallace, and six Senior Principals (Dr David Newton, Michael Batchelor, Rhys Cullen, Julian Orth, Cathie Barton, plus Amy Smith as Senior Principal Engineer) who are closely involved in every project.

Name

WRM Water & Environment

Legal name

WRM Water and Environment

Website

https://wrmwater.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WRM Water and Environment is an Australian employee-owned specialist surface water engineering consultancy delivering flood modelling, water management, and environmental impact services to mining, government, infrastructure, and legal clients across all Australian states from Brisbane and Darwin offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

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. Professional Consulting Services: Fee-for-service professional engineering consulting delivered on a project basis. Services include flood studies, water management plans, environmental impact assessments, hydraulic design, expert witness testimony, and peer reviews. Revenue is generated through direct engagement with clients on defined project scopes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WRM Water & Environment is an Australian employee-owned specialist water resources engineering consultancy providing expert advisory services across surface water engineering. The company delivers flood modelling, mine site water management, environmental impact assessment, hydraulic analysis and design, floodplain management, stormwater management, and expert witness testimony to enterprise clients in government, mining, energy, infrastructure, land development, and legal/insurance sectors.

Product overview

WRM Water & Environment is an Australian employee-owned water resources consultancy offering a unified suite of specialist consulting services rather than a software product platform. The company provides expert advisory services across all fields of surface water engineering, including climate change consulting, environmental impact assessment, flood modelling, floodplain management, hydraulic analysis and design, mine site water management, stormwater management, and strategic planning advice. Services are delivered through their team of specialist engineers using industry-standard approaches combined with innovation, serving clients across government, infrastructure, resources, land development and legal sectors. The company operates from offices in Brisbane and Darwin, delivering projects throughout all Australian states and territories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flood Modelling Development of hydrologic and hydraulic models from small urban environments to major river systems, including dam operations, dam break modelling and flood forecasting for government, mining and infrastructure clients.
• Floodplain Management Floodplain management studies including flood modelling, mapping, risk assessment, flood damage estimation, mitigation, land use planning, emergency response and community consultation for government authorities.
• Mine Site Water Management Mine site water management across the mine life cycle including surface water management plans, environmental impact assessment, water balance models, flood studies, final void assessments and rehabilitation plans for mining clients.
• Environmental Impact Assessment Technical studies for environmental impact assessment of energy, resources and infrastructure projects covering surface water, drainage, erosion, hydrology, flooding, water balance and monitoring.
• Hydraulic Analysis and Design Hydraulic analysis and design of structures including culverts, bridges, drains, spillways and drop structures, using hydrologic and hydraulic modelling to ensure cost-effective and efficient performance.
• Stormwater Management Catchment planning studies and development approval services including hydrologic and hydraulic modelling, infrastructure design for open channels, trunk pipe systems and flood detention basins, and water sensitive urban design.
• Water Supply and Catchment Yield Catchment yield assessment, rainfall-runoff modelling, water demand analysis, storage requirements modelling and basin-wide studies for water supply reliability.
• Water Quality Management Water quality management from urban development to infrastructure and resources, including stormwater quality design, mine site pollutant modelling, data interpretation and water quality objective establishment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered expert evidence accepted by courts and commissions of inquiry, including findings that quarry did not have adverse impact on downstream flooding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• GHD: Major Australian employee-owned engineering, architecture and environmental consulting firm with a substantial water practice. Competes for the same government, mining and infrastructure water mandates but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• WSP Australia: Global professional services firm with a large Australian water and environment practice covering flood, stormwater, mine water and environmental approvals. Direct overlap with WRM across multiple service lines but as part of a much wider portfolio.
• AECOM Australia: Global infrastructure consulting firm operating in Australia with a water and environment practice covering flood modelling, water resources, and mine water management. Comparable technically but competes from a much larger and diversified base.
• Jacobs Australia: Global professional services firm with significant Australian water, environmental, and critical infrastructure work including flood management and mine water studies. Overlaps with WRM in technical domain but addresses a far broader market.
• SMEC (Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation): Large Australian-founded engineering consultancy (now part of Surbana Jurong) providing water, dams, transport and infrastructure services. Overlaps with WRM on flood studies, dam safety, and mine water but offers a much broader service portfolio.

Direct peers

• Entura: Australian water and energy consulting business (Hydro Tasmania subsidiary) providing hydrology, dam safety, and hydropower engineering. Comparable as a specialist consultancy serving utilities, mining and government in the same technical domains as WRM.
• Water Technology Pty Ltd: Australian specialist surface water and coastal engineering consultancy offering flood modelling, stormwater management, and waterway design. Closely comparable to WRM in size, specialisation, client base (government and developers), and modelling-tool-led delivery model.
• DHI Water & Environment (Australia): Global water modelling specialist operating in Australia, combining MIKE software-based hydrologic/hydraulic consulting with advisory services. Closely overlaps WRM's modelling-led mine site, floodplain, and stormwater work.
• Tonkin + Taylor (Australia): New Zealand-headquartered environmental and water engineering consultancy with Australian operations. Comparable in specialist surface water, flood, and stormwater consulting for government and infrastructure clients.
• BMT Australia: Subsidiary of BMT Group providing specialist coastal, maritime and water environment consulting across Australia. Comparable in niche water-environment expertise and government/infrastructure client mix, though broader internationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 WRM Water & Environment