How To Become A Water Inspector: What It Is and Career Path

What is a water inspector and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average water inspector salary is $44,203. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an biology major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become a water inspector. Water inspectors with a OSHA Safety Certificate certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 7,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreWater InspectorUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,203

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.23%

Asian 5.66%

Black or African American 10.00%

Hispanic or Latino 14.22%

Unknown 6.18%

White 62.71%

Gender

female 14.97%

male 85.03%

Age - 45

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 - 45

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a water inspector

Explore water inspector education requirements

Most common water inspector degrees

Bachelor's

48.4 %

High School Diploma

21.1 %

Associate

15.8 %

Start to develop specific water inspector skills

Skills	Percentages
OSHA	21.11%
Construction Projects	19.88%
Punch List	10.97%
Construction Sites	6.93%
NPDES	5.64%

Complete relevant water inspector training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New water inspectors 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 water inspector based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real water inspector resumes.

Research water inspector duties and responsibilities

Perform fit test, EPA regulate air sampling, training and scheduling and manage HealthRX database.
Conduct and report NPDES inspections.
Inspect for DNR violations relating to invasive species.
Collect, map and edit data points using Esri ArcMap GIS.

Prepare your water inspector resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your water inspector resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a water inspector resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable water inspector resume templates

Build a professional water inspector resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your water inspector resume.