The power of water

RETTEW’s water source development professionals provide comprehensive water resource solutions for your project needs. Our experts survey, analyze, permit, and manage water resources to make certain your project has sustainable access to water while meeting all regulatory requirements. This process not only minimizes regulatory hurdles and redesign but also creates environmentally responsible water management solutions.

Our water resource services help keep projects and budgets on target while navigating complex regulatory frameworks across multiple states and jurisdictions. With more than 25 years of experience, we are experts in locating, developing, and permitting water resources for various industries. Basin commission renewals for existing water supply approvals often present more technical challenges than many clients anticipate. RETTEW has extensive experience supporting diverse industries through this complex process, including water authorities, canneries, power plants, and natural gas companies. Our approach includes analyzing decades of operational water data to evaluate source sustainability and project future system needs. We also conduct groundwater availability analyses and impact studies to successfully support permit renewals.

From complex natural gas sites to municipal water authorities, RETTEW adapts our expertise to meet the unique challenges of your project, enabling precision, compliance, and efficiency across diverse landscapes and infrastructure needs.

Experts at every turn

Starting a project on the right foot is critical. At RETTEW, you’ll find geologists, hydrogeologists, environmental scientists, surveyors, GIS technicians, stormwater specialists, site planners, and others to support your team. If we encounter an unexpected challenge, our water resource development experts can seamlessly engage additional on-staff professionals from other disciplines to help find a solution.

Water Source Development in practice

One client was facing the dual challenge of sustaining existing operations while expanding their drilling program across their Ohio and Utica Shale holdings. They needed to transition from unreliable pond withdrawals to sustainable surface water sources to support their growing operations. RETTEW’s team conducted comprehensive assessments of more than 80 potential withdrawal sites, creating a detailed performance analysis database and implementing responsible low-flow management protocols. When we discovered a planned primary source would be compromised by upstream activities during a critical triple well frac, our quick identification of an adjacent alternative site delivered our client approximately $1 million in transportation cost savings. By leveraging our regulatory expertise and maintaining continuous communication, we helped guarantee the client consistently had eight to ten stages of water storage available despite limited impoundment capacity. The resulting program not only resolved permitting uncertainties but also established a resilient water sourcing framework that seamlessly supported their operational growth without disruption.

When one natural gas client began exploring a new shale play with limited internal resources and knowledge of the regulatory landscape, they called RETTEW. Before they could proceed with their aggressive drilling schedule, the client needed comprehensive support managing water sourcing for the well pads. Our strategically located office in the heart of the Utica Shale Play created the perfect base for our team to coordinate on-site water management solutions. Our experts conducted water quality sampling, gauged streams, and developed a complete freshwater management strategy while navigating complex regulatory requirements. The constantly evolving schedule created additional complexity, but RETTEW’s professionals proactively coordinated freshwater identification, transfer, and storage. This comprehensive approach allowed the client to maintain their ambitious schedule without delays, allowing for continuous operations while meeting all regulatory requirements.

A client was designing and developing a new automobile dealership in a rural area with no existing public water or sanitary sewer utilities nearby. RETTEW located a new potable groundwater supply well location with appropriate setbacks from existing potential sources of contamination and surface water influence. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) reviewed the location, a new groundwater supply well was installed, an aquifer test was conducted, and new source water quality samples were collected. RETTEW prepared the transient noncommunity public water system application for the new water source and system for the dealership, which was approved by PA DEP without comment.

Beginning with the end in mind

The team at RETTEW is equipped with comprehensive experience in diverse regulatory frameworks, including Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), PA DEP, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), and West Virginia DEP. We maintain first-hand knowledge and experience with multiple regulatory agencies and are constantly studying new and emerging regulations in water development.

RETTEW’s experts help anticipate potential obstacles ahead of time, avoiding costly delays. Beyond merely consultants, we are considered trusted advisors and walk alongside your team to create a sustainable, profitable strategy. We make sure you are informed and comfortable every step of the way and are prepared for a timeline that makes sense, so you have realistic expectations and a strong plan of action. We care about our clients and communities and will go out of our way to find a solution—keeping you in compliance, on schedule, and on budget.

Water Source Development Specialties: