Architecture & Engineering
Water/Wastewater Engineers
Also called: Consulting Engineer, County Engineer, Engineer, Project Development Engineer
US median pay
$100,840
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+6.4%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
22,700
380,600 employed
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Preparation 4/5 · Considerable preparation
What this job is
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.
What they do day to day
- Provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel.
- Review and critique proposals, plans, or designs related to water or wastewater treatment systems.
- 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.
- Design or select equipment for use in wastewater processing to ensure compliance with government standards.
- Design pumping systems, pumping stations, pipelines, force mains, or sewers for the collection of wastewater.
- Design water distribution systems for potable or non-potable water.
- Conduct water quality studies to identify and characterize water pollutant sources.
- Analyze and recommend chemical, biological, or other wastewater treatment methods to prepare water for industrial or domestic use.
- Identify design alternatives for the development of new water resources.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0/5
- Systems Evaluation3.9/5
- Systems Analysis3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Time Management3.8/5
- Operations Analysis3.2/5
- Management of Personnel Resources3.2/5
- Instructing3.1/5
Knowledge
- Engineering and Technology4.7/5
- Design4.5/5
- English Language4.2/5
- Mathematics4.2/5
- Building and Construction3.8/5
- Administration and Management3.6/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 4 of 5 — Considerable preparation. Usually a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Bachelor's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Bachelor's degree70%
- Master's degree26%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.