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What is a wastewater project engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Bijan Shapoorian

A wastewater project engineer is responsible for overseeing projects involving the provision of potable water, prevention of flood damage, and the disposal of sewage or wastewater. If you choose this line of work, you will create and edit spreadsheets for capital improvement programs that deal with sewage and oversee the construction and design of water sewage systems.

You will also keep environmental documentation for water resources, regulate program compliance and perform data analysis. As expected, you need imaginary and creative skills to create good designs for each project.

Before employment, you'll need to understand, interpret, and integrate text related to wastewater projects. This is where reading skills come in handy. A wastewater project engineer needs engineering design skills for good construction. You can expect to earn an average of $79,738 yearly or $38.34 per hour with this job.

What general advice would you give to a wastewater project engineer?

Bijan Shapoorian

Adjunct Professor, The University of Texas at Arlington

In most Construction Management programs, Internship courses prepares the students for the job market and the industry. Those CM students who have obtained a degree in CM but lack work experience are recommended to search for internship opportunities if finding employment becomes a challenge. Students are advised to be flexible and willing to relocate to geographical areas with higher demand for this profession.
ScoreWastewater Project EngineerUS Average
Salary
6.0

Avg. Salary $76,181

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.6

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
10.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 10.60%

Black or African American 1.87%

Hispanic or Latino 7.69%

Unknown 3.74%

White 75.68%

Gender

female 5.88%

male 94.12%

Age - 42
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42
Stress level
6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a wastewater project engineer

  1. Explore wastewater project engineer education requirements

    Most common wastewater project engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    80.0 %

    High School Diploma

    6.7 %

    Master's

    6.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific wastewater project engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Autocad28.85%
    Pump Stations19.47%
    Data Collection15.87%
    Wastewater Treatment12.55%
    Construction Management9.86%
  3. Complete relevant wastewater project engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New wastewater project engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a wastewater project engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real wastewater project engineer resumes.
  4. Research wastewater project engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage custom product design & generate all require documentation for both customer and manufacturing groups using AutoCAD rel.
    • Contribute to successful investments in water and energy-from-waste projects in the UK by conducting in-depth project analysis and regulatory due diligence.
    • Contribute to successful investments in water and energy-from-waste projects in the UK by conducting in-depth project analysis and regulatory due diligence.
  5. Apply for wastewater project engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a wastewater project engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first wastewater project engineer job

Zippi

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Average wastewater project engineer salary

The average wastewater project engineer salary in the United States is $76,181 per year or $37 per hour. Wastewater project engineer salaries range between $55,000 and $104,000 per year.

Average wastewater project engineer salary
$76,181 Yearly
$36.63 hourly

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Wastewater project engineer reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

It’s been interesting learning how to manage and repair the various parts and pieces of these systems, and I like that I’m not always at a desk .


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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