What Do Water/Wastewater Engineers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Water/Wastewater Engineers 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. They also provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel.

Other tasks include:

• 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.
• 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.
• Analyze storm water or floodplain drainage systems to control erosion, stabilize river banks, repair channel streams, or design bridges.
• Design water distribution systems for potable or non-potable water.
• Design or select equipment for use in wastewater processing to ensure compliance with government standards.

We asked Water/Wastewater Engineers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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70% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 60% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Water/Wastewater Engineers provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel. They provide technical support on water resource or treatment issues to government agencies.

A typical day for a Water/Wastewater Engineer will also include:

• Conduct cost-benefit analyses for the construction of water supply systems, runoff collection networks, water and wastewater treatment plants, or wastewater collection systems.
• Design or select equipment for use in wastewater processing to ensure compliance with government standards.
• 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.
• Design water runoff collection networks, water supply channels, or water supply system networks.
• Analyze the efficiency of water delivery structures, such as dams, tainter gates, canals, pipes, penstocks, or cofferdams.

We asked some Water/Wastewater Engineers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	97% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	55% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	66% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	31% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	21% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Water/Wastewater Engineers also design or select equipment for use in wastewater processing to ensure compliance with government standards. They may also provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Water/Wastewater Engineers Provide technical support on water resource or treatment issues to government agencies. They might also Design pumping systems, pumping stations, pipelines, force mains, or sewers for the collection of wastewater.

In addition, they Review and critique proposals, plans, or designs related to water or wastewater treatment systems.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Analyze and recommend chemical, biological, or other wastewater treatment methods to prepare water for industrial or domestic use.

To some Water/Wastewater Engineers, it is also their responsibility to Gather and analyze water use data to forecast water demand.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Water/Wastewater Engineer, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/architecture-and-engineering/environmental-engineers.htm

http://www.aaees.org/

http://www.asee.org/

http://ncees.org/