Water Rights

What Water Rights does

Water Rights, Inc. is a privately held professional consulting firm headquartered in Lakewood, Washington, providing water resource engineering, planning, and water rights consulting services exclusively within Washington State. The firm operates as a single-principal practice under Kris G. Kauffman, P.E., a registered Civil Engineer in Washington since 1970 (License No. 11975), who has served as President for over thirty years. Service offerings include water right processing (new rights and changes — emergency, temporary, seasonal, and permanent), relinquishment screening, expert testimony, regulatory representation before State and Federal agencies, County Water Conservancy Boards, the Pollution Control Hearings Board, and State and Federal courts, and field engineering and design related to water resource matters.

The firm's client base is concentrated in state and federal government agencies, county water conservancy boards, and a secondary segment of private landowners and developers needing water rights consultation, Hillis rule priority cases, and environmental and health exception work. The principal's prior roles — Chief Engineer for Washington State Parks (1980-1992), Regional Engineer at the Washington Department of Water Resources (1968-1972), and longest-standing member of the International Osoyoos Lake Board of Control (since 1979) — are core to the firm's positioning.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees, with no disclosed pricing, no technology platform, no proprietary software, and no marketing or distribution infrastructure. The firm relies on direct engagement, professional reputation, and network referrals. No funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, or product launches have been disclosed. The business is best characterized as a specialized, expertise-driven sole-principal consultancy with regulatory depth but limited scalability absent successor personnel or technology investment.

Name

Water Rights

Legal name

Water Rights Inc.

Website

https://waterrightsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Water Rights, Inc. is a Lakewood, Washington-based professional consulting firm providing water rights and water resource engineering services to government agencies, county water boards, and private clients across Washington State.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resource Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Water rights consulting
• Water resource engineering
• Water right processing
• Hydrology planning services
• Regulatory water representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Project-based professional consulting services for water rights and water resource planning matters. Revenue generated through fees for expert consultation, representation before regulatory agencies and courts, field engineering, design work, and water right processing assistance.

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Water Rights Inc. provides professional and technical water resource engineering and planning consulting services in Washington State. Core engagements include water right processing, water right changes, relinquishment screening, expert witness representation before state and federal agencies and courts, field engineering and design, drought response coordination, and assistance with reimbursable water right cases. Services are delivered by principal Kris G. Kauffman, P.E. to government agencies, county water conservancy boards, and private landowners and developers.

Product overview

Water Rights, Inc. is a consulting firm providing professional and technical water resource engineering and planning consulting services in Washington State. The company is led by principal Kris G. Kauffman, P.E. and operates as a single-service consulting practice offering water rights consulting, water resource planning, and expert representation before various state and federal agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Rights Consulting Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Kleinfelder: Engineering, environmental, and infrastructure consulting firm with a strong water-resources practice serving municipalities, utilities, and private developers on hydrology, permitting, and regulatory matters.

Broad incumbents

• Brown and Caldwell: Large national environmental engineering and consulting firm specializing in water and wastewater services for utilities and public agencies, offering overlapping water-resource and regulatory expertise at greater scale.
• GHD: International engineering, environmental, and construction consulting firm with dedicated water-resources and regulatory practices serving public and private clients on comparable assignments.
• Stantec: Global design and consulting firm with dedicated water resources and environmental services practices serving public agencies, municipalities, and developers on comparable water-rights, permitting, and infrastructure assignments.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with a major water-resources and environmental practice, frequently engaged by state and federal agencies on water-rights adjacent work and basin planning.
• HDR Inc. Engineering consultancy with substantial water-resources, hydrology, and environmental permitting practices that competes for similar state agency and municipal water planning engagements.
• Jacobs Solutions: Major professional services firm with a significant water, environmental, and regulatory practice that competes with Water Rights, Inc. for state agency and large developer assignments.

Direct peers

• Aspect Consulting: Pacific Northwest-based environmental, water resources, and geotechnical engineering consultancy that serves similar public and private clients with overlapping water-rights, hydrogeology, and regulatory expertise in the region.
• Landau Associates: Pacific Northwest environmental and water-resources consulting firm providing engineering, permitting, and regulatory services to municipalities, developers, and industrial clients, directly comparable in scope and geography.

Regional players

• Shannon & Wilson: Pacific Northwest-based geotechnical and environmental engineering firm that supports water-rights, dam, and infrastructure projects for state agencies and developers, with partial overlap in regional water consulting engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Rights