Water/Wastewater Engineers
Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsO*NET 17-2051.02United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $100,722
- Projected change
- +9.1%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 399.9K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
69.6% of the workforce
Growing to 436.15K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What water/wastewater engineers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Conduct water quality studies to identify and characterize water pollutant sources.
- Design water distribution systems for potable or non-potable water.
- Design pumping systems, pumping stations, pipelines, force mains, or sewers for the collection of wastewater.
- 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.
- Conduct cost-benefit analyses for the construction of water supply systems, runoff collection networks, water and wastewater treatment plants, or wastewater collection systems.
- Design water or wastewater lift stations, including water wells.
- Provide technical support on water resource or treatment issues to government agencies.
- 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.
- Analyze storm water or floodplain drainage systems to control erosion, stabilize river banks, repair channel streams, or design bridges.
- Oversee the construction of decentralized or on-site wastewater treatment systems, including reclaimed water facilities.
- Write technical reports or publications related to water resources development or water use efficiency.
- Develop plans for new water resources or water efficiency programs.
- 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.
- Analyze and recommend sludge treatment or disposal methods.
- Design water storage tanks or other water storage facilities.
- Gather and analyze water use data to forecast water demand.
- Design sludge treatment plants.
- Conduct environmental impact studies related to water and wastewater collection, treatment, or distribution.
- Analyze the efficiency of water delivery structures, such as dams, tainter gates, canals, pipes, penstocks, or cofferdams.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $66,354
- 25th percentile
- $78,612
- 50th percentile
- $100,722
- 75th percentile
- $133,210
- 90th percentile
- $172,188
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $100,722 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+9.1%faster than average
2025399,897 jobs
2035 projected436,148 jobs
36,251 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 69.6%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 30.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Water/Wastewater Engineers2,289 postings
- 02Water Resources Engineers1,401 postings
- 03Water/Wastewater Project Engineers349 postings
- 04Wastewater Engineers317 postings
- 05Civil/Water Resources Engineers262 postings
- 06Water Treatment Engineers206 postings
- 07Wastewater Process Engineers201 postings
- 08Water Engineers199 postings
- 09Water Resources Project Engineers159 postings
- 10Environmental Engineers155 postings
- 11Civil Water Engineers132 postings
- 12Engineering Interns124 postings
- 13Infrastructure Engineers123 postings
- 14Water/Wastewater Operators120 postings
- 15Water Resource Control Engineers115 postings
- 16Principal Engineers100 postings
- 17Engineers80 postings
- 18Conveyancers75 postings
- 19Wastewater Treatment Operators70 postings
- 20Electrical Engineers67 postings
Top employers
- 01Jacobs Solutions380 postings
- 02Stantec310 postings
- 03Black & Veatch267 postings
- 04AECOM221 postings
- 05GPAC209 postings
- 06Kimley-Horn209 postings
- 07Lvi Associates204 postings
- 08Arcadis166 postings
- 09HDR161 postings
- 10WSP Global160 postings
- 11CDM Smith148 postings
- 12Ardurra Group145 postings
- 13Olsson118 postings
- 14Actalent104 postings
- 15GHD101 postings
- 16Geosyntec Consultants99 postings
- 17Thomas And Hutton99 postings
- 18Jobot97 postings
- 19Kennedy/Jenks Consultants95 postings
- 20Fuss & O'Neill75 postings
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