Water resources engineers are needed in various branches of civil engineering, including agricultural, hydraulic, municipal, and environmental engineering. They plan and oversee projects such as irrigation systems, wastewater management, and potable water supply. Employers include governments, military branches, private companies, and individuals. A four-year degree in math, physical sciences, and engineering is required, and continuous professional development is necessary.
Various branches of civil engineering include activities that fall under the water resources engineer job description. There are positions in the areas of agricultural engineering, hydraulic engineering, municipal engineering and environmental engineering. Projects such as hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, wastewater management systems and potable water supply require water resources engineers to assess situations, plan solutions and oversee the implementation of plans. Employers that provide water resources engineer jobs include local, regional or national governments; military branches; private companies; and even individual citizens.
In agricultural engineering, a water resources engineer can plan irrigation projects, examine which areas will be affected by runoff from a farm that may contain pesticides or fertilizers, and analyze a potential farm’s flood risk. Water resources engineer jobs in hydraulic engineering include assisting with the design of new bridges to minimize water blockage during a flood stage event, determining optimal culvert design in various configurations, designing designs to protect banks from flood flows, erosion and design drainage systems to prevent flooding of roads and bridges. Planning sewage systems, water treatment plants, fresh water supply and assessing the location of sanitary landfills in relation to the security of water supply and storm drainage are water resources engineering projects that fall under municipal engineering. Some areas of environmental engineering related to water resources engineering overlap with the areas of agricultural and municipal engineering: wastewater engineering, examining farm runoff, and analyzing the risk that landfills pose to the water supply. The emphasis in environmental engineering, however, is on the effects that contamination, pollution and water diversion have on ecosystem health.
The training and education required for water resources engineer jobs include four-year degrees that provide a solid foundation in math and physical sciences, including physics, chemistry, geology and biology, as well as engineering courses. Hydrology, the study of water as it naturally behaves in the water cycle; hydraulics, the study of the physics of fluid motion; and biochemistry, the chemical interactions of water, are important areas of study in the area of water resource engineering. This field of work is innovative and technologically oriented, and requires continuous professional development through workshops and training courses. These training sessions might cover how to use new computer programs, new study strategies, and new analysis guidelines. Sources for the most current information on water resources engineer jobs include colleges, universities and trade associations.
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