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What does a water/wastewater engineer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

Water/wastewater engineers are professionals who are responsible for designing treatment facilities that dispose of wastewater and sewage to prevent flood-related damage and provide portable water. These engineers are required to perform hydraulic modeling and pipeline design as well as map out the water distribution system using AutoCAD. They must manage the internal laboratory team to perform quality analysis of water so that they can determine the efficiency of the water system. Waste/wastewater engineers must also communicate with the governing bodies to address stormwater and erosion.

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Water/wastewater engineer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real water/wastewater engineer resumes:

  • Create and manage comprehensive database of groundwater production assets.
  • Design a permanent water withdrawal and conveyance system as well as impoundments for water storage.
  • Conduct water & sewer studies from which later water & sewer storage and conveyance systems are designed and construct.
  • Aid in the selection of an aerial mapping firm, a GIS consulting firm, and a civil engineering firm.
  • Initiate drilling program to identify potential groundwater sources.
  • Quantify comprehensive rehabilitation inflow and infiltration reductions using sanitary sewer metering data.
  • Work interdepartmentally to insure that database coding system are implemented in GIS and asset management mapping software.
  • 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.

Water/wastewater engineer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 20% of Water/Wastewater Engineers are proficient in Autocad, Project Management, and Cost Estimates.

We break down the percentage of Water/Wastewater Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Autocad, 20%

    Updated AutoCAD map of water distribution system.

  • Project Management, 13%

    Project management included design, Implementation, supervision and troubleshooting.

  • Cost Estimates, 11%

    Project consists of construction plans, specifications and bid document production as well as cost estimates.

  • GIS, 10%

    Initiated a mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS).

  • Pump Stations, 10%

    Designed optimal water and wastewater pipeline and treatment systems and pump stations to best serve local communities.

  • Water Resources, 8%

    Project engineer responsible for design and analysis of projects relating to water resources elements of transportation projects.

Common skills that a water/wastewater engineer uses to do their job include "autocad," "project management," and "cost estimates." You can find details on the most important water/wastewater engineer responsibilities below.

Problem-solving skills. One of the key soft skills for a water/wastewater engineer to have is problem-solving skills. You can see how this relates to what water/wastewater engineers do because "when designing facilities and processes, environmental engineers strive to solve several issues at once, from workers’ safety to environmental protection." Additionally, a water/wastewater engineer resume shows how water/wastewater engineers use problem-solving skills: "performed hydraulic and hydrologic analysis for different projects to identify existing flooding problems and develop alternative solutions. "

Writing skills. Another essential skill to perform water/wastewater engineer duties is writing skills. Water/wastewater engineers responsibilities require that "environmental engineers must write clearly so that others without their specific training can understand their documents, including plans, proposals, specifications, and findings, among others." Water/wastewater engineers also use writing skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "experience included water resources gis exhibits and writing reports. "

See the full list of water/wastewater engineer skills

The three companies that hire the most water/wastewater engineers are:

Compare different water/wastewater engineers

Water/wastewater engineer vs. Surface water manager

A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.

The annual salary of surface water managers is $27,403 lower than the average salary of water/wastewater engineers.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between water/wastewater engineers and surface water managers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like potable water, water treatment plant, and npdes.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a water/wastewater engineer are more likely to require skills like "autocad," "project management," "cost estimates," and "gis." On the other hand, a job as a surface water manager requires skills like "plumbing," "water samples," "process control," and "water management." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

The education levels that surface water managers earn slightly differ from water/wastewater engineers. In particular, surface water managers are 8.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a water/wastewater engineer. Additionally, they're 7.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Water/wastewater engineer vs. Water systems designer

A career as a water systems designer brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a water/wastewater engineer. In fact, water systems designers salary is $8,747 lower than the salary of water/wastewater engineers per year.A few skills overlap for water/wastewater engineers and water systems designers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "gis," "water meters," and "engineering calculations. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real water/wastewater engineer resumes. While water/wastewater engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "autocad," "project management," "cost estimates," and "pump stations," water systems designers use skills like "water quality," "auto cad," "drawing packages," and "jan."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Water systems designers tend to reach similar levels of education than water/wastewater engineers. In fact, they're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Water/wastewater engineer vs. Civil engineer

On average, civil engineers earn lower salaries than water/wastewater engineers, with a $14,732 difference per year.water/wastewater engineers and civil engineers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "project management," "cost estimates," and "gis," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from water/wastewater engineer resumes include skills like "autocad," "water resources," "wastewater projects," and "qc," whereas a civil engineer is more likely to list skills in "civil 3d," "engineering design," "construction projects," and "engineering projects. "

Civil engineers earn the highest salary when working in the construction industry, where they receive an average salary of $76,163. Comparatively, water/wastewater engineers have the highest earning potential in the construction industry, with an average salary of $83,748.Most civil engineers achieve a lower degree level compared to water/wastewater engineers. For example, they're 11.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 6.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Water/wastewater engineer vs. Director water and waste services

Directors water and waste services average a higher salary than the annual salary of water/wastewater engineers. The difference is about $31,541 per year.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A water/wastewater engineer uses "autocad," "project management," "cost estimates," and "gis." Directors water and waste services are more likely to have duties that require skills in "hazardous waste," "dot," "educational sessions," and "staff results. "In general, directors water and waste services hold similar degree levels compared to water/wastewater engineers. Directors water and waste services are 4.9% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 7.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of water/wastewater engineer

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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