Water Rights

EKI provides expert consulting services to help clients understand, secure, and optimize their water rights and water supply portfolio. Our team advises on complex water rights issues, supports regulatory compliance, and identifies creative opportunities for water transfers, exchanges, and long-term water supply planning. This includes the development of unique planning tools, data analyses, and reports.

EKI’s experts work with landowners, regional boards, water suppliers, municipalities, organizations, and multi-agency partnerships to evaluate water supply options, navigate federal and state regulations, and implement technically sound, legally defensible solutions. Our team spans both consumptive uses (e.g., agriculture, municipal, domestic) and non-consumptive uses (e.g., hydropower, recreation), with a strong focus on integrated water resource strategies aimed at long-term reliability.

Our water rights services include:

Water Rights Administration and Technical Support

EKI’s experts support clients throughout the lifecycle of water rights – from application and permitting to compliance, reporting, licensing or certification, and long-term defense, including the:

• Preparation of water rights applications, petitions, transfers, and contract-supporting materials.
• Evaluation of riparian, appropriative, and senior water rights claims.
• Diversion and use reporting, including measurement compliance (e.g., SB 88 measurement).
• Hydrologic and water use modeling to support utilization and beneficial use determinations.
• Development of technical evidence to support water rights perfection or protect against forfeiture.

Our team has deep experience interfacing with water rights regulators and can help clients manage risk and improve documentation around their water rights assets. This includes substantial client work in California, Certified Water Rights Examiners (CWRE) in Oregon, and Certified Water Rights Surveyors (CWRS) in Nevada.

Water Transfers, Exchanges, and Portfolio Planning

EKI’s experts help clients identify and execute water transfers and exchanges that align with both operational needs and regulatory frameworks, including:

• Market research on water availability, pricing, and historical transactions.
• Technical quantification of transferable or conserved water.
• Support for transfer approval processes, including water rights and regulatory submittals.
• Development of multi-party supply agreements and banking arrangements.
• Evaluation of long-term strategies to diversify or stabilize water portfolios.

EKI brings a clear-eyed, data-driven approach to water marketing that accounts for local hydrology, infrastructure constraints, legal requirements, and interagency coordination.