Water/Wastewater Engineer Design or oversee projects involving provision of potable water, disposal of wastewater and sewage, or prevention of flood-related damage. Prepare environmental documentation for water resources, regulatory program compliance, data management and analysis, and field work. Perform hydraulic modeling and pipeline design.
Water/Wastewater Engineer is Also Know as
In different settings, Water/Wastewater Engineer is titled as
- Consulting Engineer
- County Engineer
- Engineer
- Project Development Engineer
Education and Training of Water/Wastewater Engineer
Water/Wastewater Engineer is categorized in Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Water/Wastewater Engineer
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education Required for Water/Wastewater Engineer
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees Related to Water/Wastewater Engineer
- Bachelor in Civil Engineering, General
- Associate Degree Courses in Civil Engineering, General
- Masters Degree Courses in Civil Engineering, General
- Bachelor in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Associate Degree Courses in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Masters Degree Courses in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Bachelor in Structural Engineering
- Associate Degree Courses in Structural Engineering
- Masters Degree Courses in Structural Engineering
- Bachelor in Transportation and Highway Engineering
- Associate Degree Courses in Transportation and Highway Engineering
- Masters Degree Courses in Transportation and Highway Engineering
- Bachelor in Water Resources Engineering
- Associate Degree Courses in Water Resources Engineering
- Masters Degree Courses in Water Resources Engineering
- Bachelor in Civil Engineering, Other
- Associate Degree Courses in Civil Engineering, Other
- Masters Degree Courses in Civil Engineering, Other
Training Required for Water/Wastewater Engineer
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Water/Wastewater Engineer in different industries are
- Environmental Engineers
- Water Resource Specialists
- Civil Engineers
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
- Petroleum Engineers
- Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar
- Chemical Engineers
- Wind Energy Engineers
- Transportation Engineers
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
- Hydrologic Technicians
- Geothermal Production Managers
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Hydrologists
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
- Conservation Scientists
- Industrial Ecologists
- Environmental Restoration Planners
- Hydroelectric Production Managers
What Do Water/Wastewater Engineer do?
- Write technical reports or publications related to water resources development or water use efficiency.
- Review and critique proposals, plans, or designs related to water or wastewater treatment systems.
- Provide technical support on water resource or treatment issues to government agencies.
- Provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel.
- Identify design alternatives for the development of new water resources.
- Develop plans for new water resources or water efficiency programs.
- Design or select equipment for use in wastewater processing to ensure compliance with government standards.
- Conduct water quality studies to identify and characterize water pollutant sources.
- Perform mathematical modeling of underground or surface water resources, such as floodplains, ocean coastlines, streams, rivers, or wetlands.
- Perform hydrological analyses, using three-dimensional simulation software, to model the movement of water or forecast the dispersion of chemical pollutants in the water supply.
- Perform hydraulic analyses of water supply systems or water distribution networks to model flow characteristics, test for pressure losses, or to identify opportunities to mitigate risks and improve operational efficiency.
- Oversee the construction of decentralized or on-site wastewater treatment systems, including reclaimed water facilities.
- Gather and analyze water use data to forecast water demand.
- Conduct feasibility studies for the construction of facilities, such as water supply systems, runoff collection networks, water and wastewater treatment plants, or wastewater collection systems.
- Conduct environmental impact studies related to water and wastewater collection, treatment, or distribution.
- Conduct cost-benefit analyses for the construction of water supply systems, runoff collection networks, water and wastewater treatment plants, or wastewater collection systems.
- Analyze the efficiency of water delivery structures, such as dams, tainter gates, canals, pipes, penstocks, or cofferdams.
- Analyze storm water or floodplain drainage systems to control erosion, stabilize river banks, repair channel streams, or design bridges.
- Analyze and recommend sludge treatment or disposal methods.
- Analyze and recommend chemical, biological, or other wastewater treatment methods to prepare water for industrial or domestic use.
- Design water storage tanks or other water storage facilities.
- Design water runoff collection networks, water supply channels, or water supply system networks.
- Design water or wastewater lift stations, including water wells.
- Design water distribution systems for potable or non-potable water.
- Design sludge treatment plants.
- Design pumping systems, pumping stations, pipelines, force mains, or sewers for the collection of wastewater.
- Design domestic or industrial water or wastewater treatment plants, including advanced facilities with sequencing batch reactors (SBR), membranes, lift stations, headworks, surge overflow basins, ultraviolet disinfection systems, aerobic digesters, sludge lagoons, or control buildings.
- Evaluate the operation and maintenance of water or wastewater systems to identify ways to improve their efficiency.
Qualities of Good Water/Wastewater Engineer
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Tools Used by Water/Wastewater Engineer
- Computer data input scanners
- Computer laser printers
- Desktop computers
- Digitizers
- Laptop computers
- Large-format plotters
- Personal computers
Technology Skills required for Water/Wastewater Engineer
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Autodesk Revit
- Bash
- Bentley GEOPAK Civil Engineering Suite
- Bentley InRoads Suite
- Bentley MicroStation
- Bentley SewerCAD
- Bentley StormCAD
- Bentley WaterCAD
- Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
- DHI MIKE URBAN
- Eagle Point LANDCADD
- EPA Storm Water Management Model SWMM
- ESRI ArcGIS software
- ESRI software
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Geographic information system GIS systems
- Google Chrome
- HEC-1
- HEC-GeoRAS
- HEC-HMS
- HEC-RAS
- Hydraulic modeling software
- HydroCAD Software Solutions HydroCAD Stormwater Modeling System
- KYPipe
- MapInfo
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Word
- Minitab
- Mozilla Firefox
- MWH Soft InfoSWMM
- NIWA Tideda
- OpenRoads Designer
- Oracle Java
- Python
- SAP software
- Structured query language SQL
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Wallingford Software InfoSewer
- Wallingford Software InfoWorks WS
- Web browser software
- Word processing software
- XP Software XPSWMM