Kathryn A. Tipple

Counsel

A dedicated regulatory counselor and environmental litigator, Kate Tipple advises private and public sector clients on a wide range of water quality, water supply, natural resources, and land use matters.

With more than a decade of focused Clean Water Act (CWA) experience, Kate blends pragmatic legal strategy with technical fluency to guide clients through complex environmental and natural resources compliance, risk mitigation, and litigation challenges under federal and state law. Kate’s practice emphasizes anticipating regulatory risk, strengthening compliance programs, and securing favorable outcomes in high-stakes matters.

Known for cultivating collaborative client partnerships, Kate represents industrial and municipal clients throughout California in court and before the State Water Resources Control Board, Regional Boards, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and local agencies. She helps clients resolve matters involving National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, stormwater, wastewater, CWA sections 401 and 404 requirements, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, contaminated groundwater investigation and remediation, drinking water requirements, and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)-based liabilities and cost recovery. Kate also resolves disputes arising from floods and erosion, streamflow alterations, and competing land uses and nuisances.

Kate helps clients anticipate and navigate evolving, overlapping legislative and regulatory landscapes concerning emerging contaminants (such as PFAS), extended producer responsibility, Proposition 65, and shifting water and land use policies. And Kate provides water-related project and transactional due diligence, as well as environmental site assessment guidance.

Kate has demonstrated success with negotiating early, favorable resolutions to threats of CWA and RCRA citizen suits, as well as Proposition 65 claims. She helps clients effectively manage emergency spill response and communications amid public scrutiny. Kate’s background as an environmental scientist and land use researcher further enhances her ability to translate technical issues into practical legal solutions and effectively identify subject matter experts.

Professional, Community And Pro Bono Involvement

  • Sacramento County Bar Association, 2026
  • San Diego County Bar Association, 2026
  • California Association of Sanitary Agencies, 2024-present
  • California Association of Stormwater Quality Agencies, Industrial Subcommittee, 2022-present
  • Building Industry Association of San Diego, Stormwater Task Force, 2022-present
  • ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER)
    • Co-Chair, Mining Committee, 2019–2021
    • CWA Panel Liaison, 2021 Fall Conference Planning Committee
    • Vice-Chair, Water Resources Committee
  • Environmental Law Institute Emerging Leaders Initiative, selected in 2021
  • National Association of Women Lawyers, Women in Environmental & Energy Law, 2019-2021
  • S.J. Quinney College of Law, Young Alumni Association, Executive Board Member, 2015–2025

Honors & Rankings

  • ABA SEER Committee Communications Award recipient, 2020–2021
  • ABA SEER Committee Phoenix Award recipient, 2019–2020
  • Managed critical emergency response, strategic communications, and enforcement negotiations for client responding to a major, multi-jurisdictional sewage spill, ultimately securing a favorable settlement with the lead agency and supporting the client with a long-term compliance strategy.
  • Defended client in a complex, multi-party historic site and groundwater contamination case that was unrelated to the client’s operations, negotiating more favorable relative responsibility with the lead agency for investigation and cleanup, identifying public funds potentially available to the client for cleanup costs, and strategically managing several layers of cost-recovery, indemnification, and tort litigation to control client’s costs and effectively strengthen client’s case against the other responsible parties.
  • Quickly defeated notice of Clean Water Act citizen’s suit, auditing facility compliance with NPDES permit and guiding client through agency site inspection, and negotiating a favorable post-agency inspection report while strengthening facility compliance and reducing future risk of non-compliance allegations.

Announcements

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I enjoy recreating in water as much as I enjoy serving my clients’ water quality matters. I grew up rowing competitively in Southern California and look forward to each opportunity to swim, boat, and fish. My husband is a geologist, and our family enjoys rock hounding, camping, and hiking throughout the Western U.S. Most recently, we ventured into the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, discovering waterfalls and small pools with natural rock “water slides.”

Professional, Community And Pro Bono Involvement

  • Sacramento County Bar Association, 2026
  • San Diego County Bar Association, 2026
  • California Association of Sanitary Agencies, 2024-present
  • California Association of Stormwater Quality Agencies, Industrial Subcommittee, 2022-present
  • Building Industry Association of San Diego, Stormwater Task Force, 2022-present
  • ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER)
    • Co-Chair, Mining Committee, 2019–2021
    • CWA Panel Liaison, 2021 Fall Conference Planning Committee
    • Vice-Chair, Water Resources Committee
  • Environmental Law Institute Emerging Leaders Initiative, selected in 2021
  • National Association of Women Lawyers, Women in Environmental & Energy Law, 2019-2021
  • S.J. Quinney College of Law, Young Alumni Association, Executive Board Member, 2015–2025

Honors & Rankings

  • ABA SEER Committee Communications Award recipient, 2020–2021
  • ABA SEER Committee Phoenix Award recipient, 2019–2020