Water Resource Specialists
Design or implement programs and strategies related to water resource issues such as supply, quality, and regulatory compliance issues.
Also known as: Community Resource Consultant, Environmental Resource Specialist, Hydrotechnical Specialist, Hydrotechnician, Power Supply Engineer, Resource Specialist, Water Quality Specialist, Water Resource Agent, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (About average)
What You'd Do
- Supervise teams of workers who capture water from wells and rivers.
- Review or evaluate designs for water detention facilities, storm drains, flood control facilities, or other hydraulic structures.
- Negotiate for water rights with communities or water facilities to meet water supply demands.
- Perform hydrologic, hydraulic, or water quality modeling.
- Compile water resource data, using geographic information systems (GIS) or global position systems (GPS) software.
- Compile and maintain documentation on the health of a body of water.
- Write proposals, project reports, informational brochures, or other documents on wastewater purification, water supply and demand, or other water resource subjects.
- Recommend new or revised policies, procedures, or regulations to support water resource or conservation goals.
- Provide technical expertise to assist communities in the development or implementation of storm water monitoring or other water programs.
- Present water resource proposals to government, public interest groups, or community groups.
- Monitor water use, demand, or quality in a particular geographic area.
- Identify and characterize specific causes or sources of water pollution.
- Develop plans to protect watershed health or rehabilitate watersheds.
- Develop or implement standardized water monitoring and assessment methods.
- Conduct technical studies for water resources on topics such as pollutants and water treatment options.
- Conduct, or oversee the conduct of, investigations on matters such as water storage, wastewater discharge, pollutants, permits, or other compliance and regulatory issues.
- Conduct cost-benefit studies for watershed improvement projects or water management alternatives.
- Analyze storm water systems to identify opportunities for water resource improvements.
- Develop strategies for watershed operations to meet water supply and conservation goals or to ensure regulatory compliance with clean water laws or regulations.
- Conduct, or oversee the conduct of, chemical, physical, and biological water quality monitoring or sampling to ensure compliance with water quality standards.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.