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Water systems designer vs wastewater engineer

The differences between water systems designers and wastewater engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a water systems designer and a wastewater engineer. Additionally, a wastewater engineer has an average salary of $84,524, which is higher than the $76,935 average annual salary of a water systems designer.

The top three skills for a water systems designer include GIS, water quality and auto cad. The most important skills for a wastewater engineer are treatment facilities, conveyance, and treatment plant.

Water systems designer vs wastewater engineer overview

Water Systems DesignerWastewater Engineer
Yearly salary$76,935$84,524
Hourly rate$36.99$40.64
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs105,76511,135
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4343
Years of experience44

Water systems designer vs wastewater engineer salary

Water systems designers and wastewater engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Water Systems DesignerWastewater Engineer
Average salary$76,935$84,524
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $139,000Between $51,000 And $139,000
Highest paying City-Redding, CA
Highest paying state-Oregon
Best paying company-Oxford Solutions
Best paying industry--

Differences between water systems designer and wastewater engineer education

There are a few differences between a water systems designer and a wastewater engineer in terms of educational background:

Water Systems DesignerWastewater Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringCivil Engineering
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyStanford University

Water systems designer vs wastewater engineer demographics

Here are the differences between water systems designers' and wastewater engineers' demographics:

Water Systems DesignerWastewater Engineer
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 81.8% Female, 18.2%Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 1.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 1.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between water systems designer and wastewater engineer duties and responsibilities

Water systems designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage relationships through CRM documentation and complete post-sale customer follow ups.
  • Enhance working knowledge of EPA, DEP and MWRA regulations.
  • Design and develop a custom web-base CRM primarily using store procedures and triggers for data manipulation and business logic.
  • Evaluate pipes and determine structural integrity using CCTV.
  • Develop custom concepts and details coordinating across multiple disciplines and with outside companies including AECOM and Wyatt.

Wastewater engineer example responsibilities.

  • Create and manage comprehensive database of groundwater production assets.
  • Monitor potable pilot plant for chlorination/dechlorination technologies including ozone, UV, chlorine gas/liquid emulsions, and peroxide.
  • Develop system sequence and interlock definition documentation for support of operating procedures and DCS system development.

Water systems designer vs wastewater engineer skills

Common water systems designer skills
  • GIS, 52%
  • Water Quality, 33%
  • Auto CAD, 15%
Common wastewater engineer skills
  • Treatment Facilities, 36%
  • Conveyance, 24%
  • Treatment Plant, 19%
  • Project Delivery, 7%
  • Contract Drawings, 5%
  • Construction Cost Estimates, 4%

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