RiverRestoration

What RiverRestoration does

RiverRestoration is a privately held, Carbondale, Colorado-based river engineering and watershed science firm founded in 2004 that delivers professional services across river restoration, recreation enhancement, hydrographic surveying, and hydraulic analysis. The firm's three core service lines are Restoration Projects (channel restoration, bank stabilization, fish passage, habitat enhancement), Recreation Projects (whitewater parks, kayak parks, boat ramps, in-channel diversions), and Hydrographic Survey Services (survey-grade GPS plus boat-mounted single-beam sonar for bathymetric data) — supported by Creative Planning, 1D/2D/3D Hydraulic Analysis (HEC-RAS, SRH-2D), Permitting Services, and Construction Support.

The technical approach combines fluvial geomorphic engineering with environmental sensitivity: the firm models river channel hydraulics, performs geomorphic assessments, analyzes sediment transport and bio-stabilization, and integrates results into whole-system restoration design. Its team of six P.E.-credentialed river engineers holds advanced degrees from Colorado State, Oregon State, University of Washington, ENGEES Strasbourg, and other specialized programs, and brings prior experience from the National Park Service, FEMA Risk MAP (Wood/WSP), Army Corps of Engineers, and Knight Piesold.

The business model is project-based professional services sold via direct enterprise field engagement, primarily to government clients — the Bureau of Reclamation, Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, EPA Region 8, multiple state Divisions of Natural Resources, and municipalities across Colorado, Utah, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Iowa. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined by project scope. Marketing is largely referral-driven and award-driven, leveraging an interactive project portfolio and a project questionnaire funnel. The firm has accumulated 12+ regional and national awards since 2011 and remains founder/owner-operated with no evidence of institutional investment or M&A activity.

Name

RiverRestoration

Legal name

RiverRestoration

Website

https://riverrestoration.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RiverRestoration is a privately held, Carbondale, Colorado-based river engineering firm (founded 2004, ~6 P.E. engineers) providing restoration, recreation enhancement, hydrographic survey, and hydraulic analysis services to federal, state, and municipal government clients across the Western United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

River Restoration Engineering Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Park Design, Engineering & Construction (Master Planning, Build) (THAAABAJ)

Keywords

• River restoration engineering
• Hydrographic surveying services
• Hydraulic modeling analysis
• Watershed restoration consulting
• Fluvial geomorphology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Carbondale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional services revenue from river restoration engineering, hydraulic analysis, permitting, and construction support. Services include planning, design, surveying, and services during construction.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RiverRestoration provides professional river engineering, restoration, and watershed science services, including ecological channel restoration, bank stabilization, fish passage design, whitewater park and recreation feature design, hydrographic and topographic surveying, and numerical hydraulic and hydrologic modeling. The firm supports projects from creative planning and permitting through construction staking and oversight, and coordinates directly with regulatory agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, and state Divisions of Natural Resources on behalf of clients.

Product overview

RiverRestoration is a river engineering and restoration services firm offering an integrated suite of professional services for watershed restoration and river improvement projects. The core portfolio consists of three project categories: Restoration Projects (ecological and environmental restoration including fish passage and habitat enhancement), Recreation Projects (whitewater parks, kayak parks, boat ramps, and recreational enhancements), and Hydrographic Survey Services (detailed bathymetric data collection using state-of-the-art GPS and sonar equipment). These are supported by service components including Creative Planning (watershed-scale coordination and funding support), Hydraulic Analysis (1D/2D/3D numerical modeling), Permitting Services (regulatory compliance and agency coordination), and Construction Support (bid preparation and construction oversight). The firm takes a fluvial geomorphic engineering approach, integrating technical expertise with environmental stewardship to enhance social, economic, and ecological values of river systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restoration Projects
• Recreation Projects
• Hydrographic Survey Services
• Creative Planning
• Hydraulic Analysis
• Permitting Services
• Construction Support
• Project Incubation

Quantifiable outcome

• Managed over 90 major river engineering projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Bureau of ReclamationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiverRestoration has worked under contract with the Bureau of Reclamation providing hydrographic data collection and geomorphic analysis services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stillwater Sciences: Specialized river and watershed restoration consulting firm providing hydrologic/hydraulic analysis, fisheries habitat design, and fluvial geomorphology services to agencies and NGOs across the western US; closely overlaps RiverRestoration's technical scope.
• Biohabitats: Ecological restoration consultancy with strong river, wetland, and watershed practice; comparable in mission-driven positioning and offering overlapping stream restoration, hydraulic analysis, and permitting services to public-sector clients.
• Inter-Fluve (GEI Consultants): River restoration, hydraulic modeling, and watershed planning consultancy now part of GEI; one of the most direct comparables in terms of service mix, client base (federal/state agencies), and project types.
• cbec (eco engineering): West Coast-based ecological engineering firm focused on river and floodplain restoration, fish passage, and habitat design; comparable boutique scale and direct overlap with restoration + recreation engineering services.
• River Design Group: Boutique river restoration engineering firm with comparable offerings in stream restoration, hydraulic modeling, and geomorphic assessment; serves similar government and municipal clients with a similar small-team delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: International engineering consultancy with a sizeable water and environmental practice; bids on the same floodplain mapping, river restoration, and stormwater programs as RiverRestoration but from a global delivery platform.
• Water Resources Engineering (Anderson Consulting Engineers / RESPEC): Mid-sized engineering firm with a water resources practice serving western US municipalities and federal agencies; provides overlapping hydraulic modeling, floodplain, and stream restoration services at slightly larger scale.
• Tetra Tech: Global engineering and consulting firm with a large water resources and environmental restoration practice; competes for the same USACE, FEMA, and Bureau of Reclamation contracts but at much larger scale and program breadth.
• Trihydro Corporation: Environmental and engineering consulting firm with a water resources and river restoration practice; former employer of recent RiverRestoration hire Drew Burman and competes in the same federal/state RFP landscape.
• WSP USA (formerly Wood Environment & Infrastructure): Large engineering firm where former RiverRestoration hire Drew Burman previously ran FEMA Risk MAP work; competes directly for federal water resources, floodplain, and river engineering contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 RiverRestoration