ABOUT US
WHAT WE DO
WaterBank® is a provider of all water-right related services.
Led by Dr. William Turner, WaterBank® conducts water-rights transfers, validation studies, title searches, file maintenance and audits, permitting, and commercial property transactions.
WaterBank® has more than 85 years of combined professional experience. Our team holds advanced degrees and accreditations in Hydrogeology, Geology, Hydrogeochemistry, Biology and Water Resources Management. We are multilingual (English, German, Greek, Spanish, French, and Japanese). We have worked throughout North and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Areas of Expertise
- Water-rights transactions
- Quantitative assessments of water resources
- Historic research of water assets
- Valuation of water assets
- Water project finance and capital stacks advisement
- Emergency water-supply
- Providing bulk water for construction and pipeline projects
- Expertise in historic and present-day water law
- Water supplies for developers
- Feasibility studies for water projects
- Creating companies to exploit new water-related technologies
Licenses and Certifications
- Registered Professional Geologist in Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, and Nebraska
- Licensed New Mexico Real Estate Broker
- Licensed New Mexico Escrow Agent
- Professional Landman
- Certified Water Rights Examiner for Idaho
Credit: Chris Austin
WHO WE ARE
William M. Turner, Ph.D.
Founder/Trustee/ CEO
Dr. William Turner is the Trustee and CEO of WaterBank®. He has more than 50 years of experience as a consulting hydrogeologist. He received his B.S. in Geology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an M.S. in Geology from Pennsylvania State University, and his Ph.D. in Geology and Hydrology from the University of New Mexico and the Hebrew University. Dr. Turner is also a licensed escrow agent, Registered Professional Geologist, land developer, landman, oil and gas operator, and the Qualifying Broker for WaterBank®.
Dr. Turner has worked throughout the United States and 18 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as a consultant to government agencies, multiple industries, the World Bank and hundreds of individual clients. During his career, Dr. Turner has designed and supervised the drilling of hundreds of municipal, industrial, and irrigation wells to depths of 3,000 feet (900 m). Dr. Turner has consulted on drilling equipment for government agencies and international lending institutions.
Dr. Turner is an expert in geology, hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, photogeology, groundwater exploration, irrigation-well construction, French, Spanish, and English water law and land tenure law and water law from Sumerian times to the present. He has taught courses on water rights for the New Mexico Real Estate Commission for more than 20 years and continuing legal education courses to attorneys for more than 15 years.
From 1995 to 2003, Dr. Turner served as the New Mexico Natural Resources Trustee where he created the New Mexico Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Water. In 2005, he served a four-year term as an elected Member on the Board of Directors of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, the body that manages the Rio Grande throughout Central New Mexico. He holds Superior Services and Incentive Awards from the U.S. Geological Survey and is a Centennial Fellow of Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Turner a registered professional geologist in nine states. He has been President of the Albuquerque Geological Society for the past decade.
Matthew Rawlings
President and COO Business Development/Brokerage/Regulatory Compliance
During his 18 years with WaterBank®, Mr. Rawlings has managed over $75 million in water rights transactions and investments.
He is responsible for business development, brokerage services, regulatory compliance and handles all water-asset management projects including contract negotiations, implementation, closings, escrow services, business leads and opportunities. He is also responsible for new and ongoing client relations with individual, commercial, industrial, and governmental entities.
Mr. Rawlings has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology (2001) and a Master’s Degree in Water Resource Management (2004) from the University of Ne w Mexico. He is also a licensed associate real estate broker. Mr. Rawlings is a past Board Member and President of the American Water Resources Association – New Mexico State Chapter (2005-2013).
Jonas Akudago
Water Rights Validation/ArcGIS Specialist
Mr. Akudago is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and specializes in water-rights validation and water-rights permitting. Before joining WaterBank®, he worked for the Petroglyphs National Monument and the New Mexico Department of Transportation where he was responsible for creating topographic, aerial, soil, and human geography maps using ArcGIS Pro. He currently works on validation of water rights owned by the New Mexico Department of Transportation and many other transactional projects.