At ESA, we learned early on what is now a widely accepted fact: understanding and designing with natural forces leads to more cost-effective and sustainable project solutions over the long term.
ESA’s interdisciplinary team of ecologists, hydrologists, biologists, geomorphologists, engineers, water quality specialists, and landscape architects collaborate to create practical, ecosystem-based designs. We blend rigorous scientific analysis with practical engineering solutions.
Our team members share a common goal of protecting, enhancing, and restoring the environment, from the headwaters to the coast. Our experts pioneered some of the earliest wetland restoration planning efforts and published tidal wetland restoration design guidelines that are now widely used by restoration practitioners throughout the United States.
We completed award-winning estuarine restorations in Oregon near Tillamook and Astoria, and are currently completing a 1.5-mile shoreline enhancement of Birch Bay in northern Washington. Further inland, we are designing the restoration of 13 miles of the Napa River and developing plans to restore native salmon to the Columbia and San Joaquin Rivers. Along the Gulf of Mexico, we have worked with the Gulf States, counties, parishes, and federal agencies to plan and prioritize coastal restoration projects funded by the RESTORE Act.
We offer a full range of restoration and conservation services to help clients solve mitigation challenges, from initial planning, feasibility studies, and conceptual design through permits, environmental compliance, and final design. We provide bid documents, construction phase services, and post-project monitoring to implement our designs, which allow natural habitats to reclaim their role in a healthy ecosystem.
Relevant Services
Coastal & Estuarine Restoration
Coastal Zone Engineering & Management
Design
Fisheries & Aquatic Science
Flood & Stormwater Management
Hydrology, Hydraulics & Geomorphology
Land & Resource Management
Landscape Architecture
Restoration
River & Floodplain Restoration
River Engineering & Management
Watershed Assessment & Management
Wetland Restoration
Projects

One of the more enlightening moments in stream restoration is when a recently constructed site experiences a large storm event. Whether these events test a restoration design approach or trigger system adjustment, they are always an opportunity to learn.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than half of America’s historic wetlands have been lost or disturbed as a result of human intervention. In San Francisco Bay, this number is even higher, at more than 90 percent.