K&L Gates LLP
K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm with lawyers located across five continents. The firm represents leading multinational corporations, growth and middle-market companies, capital markets participants and entrepreneurs in every major industry group, as well as public sector entities, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations, and individuals.
We help clients anticipate and avoid problems before they impede objectives. We have successfully handled matters for clients ranging in size from small, single-location manufacturers or small local governments to global Fortune 50 companies and major metropolitan service districts. The firm is a recognized leader in such emerging areas as clean energy transition, carbon management, environmental justice, natural resources damages, degraded urban rivers, and brownfield redevelopment.
Water Resources Services
Our practitioners focusing on water law are at the forefront of issues in both the eastern and western United States. Members of our team have handled precedent-setting cases regarding water law and allocation, including interstate water disputes and development of water and wastewater facilities.
In the western United States, our lawyers serve clients in obtaining, amending, and transferring water rights. We have worked closely with our clients to build water banks and water lease arrangements, including the largest water bank in Washington State. We evaluate water rights across geographic locations and industries, helping clients from individuals to large land-owning portfolios understand their current state of water rights and how best to protect and leverage them going forward. We have negotiated forbearance agreements when administrative processes did not best fit clients’ needs, as well as water use agreements for major industries as circumstances change.
We assist in obtaining permits for wastewater discharge, use of reclaimed water, and new sources of supply. Our lawyers address issues arising under the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and various laws and treaties relating to Native American water rights and fishery resources. We also have assisted clients in complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act through creative financing, restructuring, and regulatory solutions, as well as achieving municipal- and private-client goals through water reuse.
Similarly, in the eastern United States, we have taken a leadership position in various state and regional water law reform efforts. We have actively represented individual water, energy, and other utilities, as well as private developers and industries, in obtaining state and basin commission permits for groundwater and surface water withdrawals, wastewater treatment, reuse, and discharge projects. For nearly two decades, we have counseled and represented entities engaged in some of the largest and most innovative public-private partnership projects for water and wastewater infrastructure development across the United States.
Integrated Practice Groups
Our experience with environmental and land use permitting and real estate negotiations make us a one-stop firm for water resources infrastructure and redevelopment projects. We work seamlessly across practice groups to successfully navigate the maze of regulatory requirements and maintain good relations with agencies, elected officials, nongovernmental organizations, Native American tribes, and the public to help clients across industries build, redevelop, or repair their water infrastructure.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Alyssa Moir
Partner, K&L Gates LLP
206.370.7965
alyssa.moir@klgates.com