Living Waters Consultants provides environmentally sound alternatives to convert degraded streams, lakes and wetlands into community assets. We offer a range of professional services for the entire project life cycle, from Design, Permitting, and Grant Acquisition through Construction Engineering and long-term Maintenance or Monitoring. Services include Stream Restoration, Lake Management, Wetland Construction, Watershed Planning, Stormwater Engineering, Dam Removal, Hydraulic Studies, Flood Studies, Erosion Control, Stream Inventories, Water Quality Improvement, Fish & Wildlife Surveys, Monitoring, Maintenance, Research, and Funding Acquisition. We have assisted with the acquisition of over $1.4M in grant funding for environmental restoration projects.

Living Waters Consultants has served clients with innovative, cost-effective and environmentally sound alternatives since 1996. We strive to listen to our clients’ goals or needs and then assemble the required team members to implement long-term solutions. Our innovative and award-winning team includes Hydrologists, Engineers, Ecologists, Fluvial Geomorphologists, Wetland Scientists, Limnologists, and Landscape Architects. We provide one point of contact for simple and efficient communication and response to your needs. Our clients have included federal, state and local government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, other engineering firms, and private associations. Awards and honors shared with team members include an American Public Works Association Chicago Chapter Technical Innovation Award, National Visionary Award Top 5 Team Finalist, Lake County Stormwater Commission Stormwater Community of the Year (awarded to our client), U.S. EPA and Chicago Wilderness Conservation and Native Landscaping Award, American Society of Landscape Architects Illinois Chapter Honor Award, and American Council of Engineering Companies Merit Award.

We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your needs and how we may be of service!

Ted R. Gray, P.E., CPESC, M.S.
Eco-Hydrologist & Director

Ted has served as Eco-Hydrologist and Director of Living Waters Consultants since 1996. He is a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Hydrology and Hydraulics and holds a Master’s in Aquatic Ecology (fish ecology and water quality) from the University of Michigan. He has a Bachelor’s in Environmental Biology from Ripon College. Ted’s background and experience in Eco-Hydrology and Fluvial Geomorphology allows for innovative and environmentally sound solutions for Stream Restoration, Lake Management, Wetland Construction, Stormwater Engineering, and Flood Management. Stream restoration consulting and engineering services have been applied to 8 stream miles for natural channel design, 4.2 miles of large-scale stream re-meandering projects, and 12 miles of stream inventory / preliminary design. Awards have been received from American Public Works Association, National Visionary Award Finalist, American Society of Landscape Architects, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Chicago Wilderness. Ted has presented Stream Restoration Workshops for colleges and universities, IL-IN Sea Grant, County Stormwater Agencies, and others. Prior to founding Living Waters Consultants in 1996, Ted worked for CMAP (Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission) in 1991 and for a design engineering firm with an award-winning hydrologist in 1993.