Hydrology technician vs environmental field technician

The differences between hydrology technicians and environmental field technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hydrology technician and an environmental field technician. Additionally, a hydrology technician has an average salary of $44,955, which is higher than the $38,450 average annual salary of an environmental field technician.

The top three skills for a hydrology technician include data collection, surface water and hydrologic data. The most important skills for an environmental field technician are OSHA, data collection, and HAZWOPER.

Hydrology technician vs environmental field technician overview

	Hydrology Technician	Environmental Field Technician
Yearly salary	$44,955	$38,450
Hourly rate	$21.61	$18.49
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	10,904	76,665
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Hydrology technician vs environmental field technician salary

Hydrology technicians and environmental field technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hydrology Technician	Environmental Field Technician
Average salary	$44,955	$38,450
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $68,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Fairbanks, AK	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between hydrology technician and environmental field technician education

There are a few differences between a hydrology technician and an environmental field technician in terms of educational background:

	Hydrology Technician	Environmental Field Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Geology	Environmental Science
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Hydrology technician vs environmental field technician demographics

Here are the differences between hydrology technicians' and environmental field technicians' demographics:

	Hydrology Technician	Environmental Field Technician
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7%	Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between hydrology technician and environmental field technician duties and responsibilities

Hydrology technician example responsibilities.

Lead a crew of twelve techs in various archaeological excavations.
Create GIS exhibits utilizing ArcMap, the printers and large format plotters.
Devise a database scheme and handle data uploads and downloads between ArcGIS and ArcMap.
Experience with plumbing and pond irrigation.
Perform nitrate and fluoride analysis on drinking waters using an ion exchange electrode.
Monitor conductivity, PH, and nitrate levels and will add nitrate when need.

Environmental field technician example responsibilities.

Provide contractor oversight, including monitoring of technical performance of sub-contractors managing remedial cleanup projects involving hazardous waste.
Complete field forms, draw sketch maps, profiles and plan view field drawings.
Identify and correct safety shortfalls in confine space entry, explosive atmosphere, and fall protection to ensure OSHA compliance.
Create sketch maps of artifact distribution, and site features.
Read topographic maps in addition to using hand hold and tablet base GPS units.
Insulate and push copper thru a chase along with ac wire and drain line.

Hydrology technician vs environmental field technician skills

Common hydrology technician skills

Data Collection, 17%
Surface Water, 10%
Hydrologic Data, 10%
USGS, 8%
Water Quality Data, 6%
Water Quality Samples, 5%

Common environmental field technician skills

OSHA, 11%
Data Collection, 9%
HAZWOPER, 9%
Safety Procedures, 7%
Hand Tools, 6%
GPS, 5%

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Hydrology Technician
Hydrology Technician vs Environmental Field Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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