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

What is a water resources engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Water is life, and controlling water is controlling life. And it's not about being Poseidon or Aquaman. In this case, it's about controlling water through science. This is the Water Resources Engineer's job, dealing with the provision of clean water for the community and the disposal of wastewater.

And if you want a role as god or superhero, you can also separate the waters in two and avoid floods. Of course, obtaining these superpowers is not an easy task.

To become a Water Resources Engineer, you first need a university degree in civil engineering and then a master's degree in water management. This role requires excellent analytical skills. They are usually hired by public or private entities to direct all tasks related to water management, including technical and administrative responsibilities.

It's a lot of work, but $90,000 a year does not sound so bad, and with this being a career with great expectations of growth in the coming years, perhaps the effort will be worth it.

What general advice would you give to a water resources 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 Resources EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.3

Avg. Salary $80,432

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 13.12%

Black or African American 3.69%

Hispanic or Latino 10.46%

Unknown 3.84%

White 68.45%

Gender

female 17.99%

male 82.01%

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 resources engineer

Explore water resources engineer education requirements

Most common water resources engineer degrees

Bachelor's

64.8 %

Master's

21.6 %

Associate

7.2 %

Start to develop specific water resources engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Hec Ras	12.85%
Hydrologic	8.25%
Civil Engineering	7.39%
GIS	6.98%
HEC-RAS	6.71%

Complete relevant water resources engineer training and internships

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

Research water resources engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage utilities and wastewater, infrastructure and cost savings projects from ideas to complete projects.
Develop interior drainage studies using HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS models for levee certifications and levee analysis for certification.
Perform QC activities on the data submit by subconsultant.
Insure all EPA require data warehousing and reports are maintain.

Prepare your water resources engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your water resources engineer 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 resources engineer 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 resources engineer resume templates

Build a professional water resources engineer 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 resources engineer resume.