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.
Also called: Consulting Engineer · County Engineer · Engineer · Project Development Engineer
Median pay (national)
$99,590
$65,920–$160,990 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
355,410
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+5%
~23,600 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for water/wastewater engineers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $160,990 versus $65,920 at the bottom 10% — 2.4x. The median of $99,590 leaves roughly 62% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +5% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 23,600 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 52 states with released data, California pays the most for this role (median $118,450, +19% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $60,510 — a 96% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D, Autodesk Revit, Bentley MicroStation as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Science
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Provide technical direction or supervision to junior engineers, engineering or computer-aided design (CAD) technicians, or other technical personnel.
- 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 water distribution systems for potable or non-potable water.
- 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.
- Design water runoff collection networks, water supply channels, or water supply system networks.
- Design water or wastewater lift stations, including water wells.
- Provide technical support on water resource or treatment issues to government agencies.
Tools & technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Autodesk Revit
- Bentley MicroStation
- ESRI ArcGIS software
- HEC-HMS
- HEC-RAS
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Bash
- Mozilla Firefox
- Oracle Java
- Python
- SAP software
- Structured query language SQL
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology
- Design
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Building and Construction
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Physics