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

What is a water project engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a water project engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $37.01 an hour? That's $76,978 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 1,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

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

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.

ScoreWater Project EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.0

Avg. Salary $76,978

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 12.95%

Black or African American 3.57%

Hispanic or Latino 10.28%

Unknown 3.84%

White 68.93%

Gender

female 21.43%

male 78.57%

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 water project engineer

Explore water project engineer education requirements

Most common water project engineer degrees

Bachelor's

79.7 %

Master's

10.9 %

Associate

7.8 %

Start to develop specific water project engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Autocad	34.85%
Hec Ras	25.14%
HEC-RAS	11.02%
HEC-HMS	8.28%
EPA	7.05%

Complete relevant water project engineer training and internships

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

Research water project engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage utilities and wastewater, infrastructure and cost savings projects from ideas to complete projects.
Update AutoCAD map of water distribution system.
Contribute to successful investments in water and energy-from-waste projects in the UK by conducting in-depth project analysis and regulatory due diligence.
Check HVAC equipment; change filters, belts, bearings and lubricate as necessary.

Apply for water project engineer jobs

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

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

How do water project engineers rate their job?

-/5

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1 star

Water project engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Cons

Undone job, when we're unable to discover certain fault on time.