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.
$100,840 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 94%
- 0%
- 6%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 2%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 28 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design water distribution systems for potable or non-potable water.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 9% | 4.2 work days1 work day to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Feb 2029 | |
| Design sludge treatment plants.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 9% | 2.5 work weeks2.5 work days to 1.9 work months | 0%Half by Dec 2029 | |
| 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.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 9% | 3.5 work weeks2.5 work days to 2.3 work months | 0%Half by Apr 2030 | |
| Design pumping systems, pumping stations, pipelines, force mains, or sewers for the collection of wastewater.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 9% | 4.2 work days1 work day to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Feb 2029 | |
| 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.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 work weeks1.7 work days to 1.2 work months | 0%Half by Aug 2029 | |
| Design water or wastewater lift stations, including water wells.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Analyze storm water or floodplain drainage systems to control erosion, stabilize river banks, repair channel streams, or design bridges.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Design water runoff collection networks, water supply channels, or water supply system networks.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 work days1 work day to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Feb 2029 | |
| Design water storage tanks or other water storage facilities.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Write technical reports or publications related to water resources development or water use efficiency.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Jun 2028 | |
| Conduct water quality studies to identify and characterize water pollutant sources.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Analyze and recommend chemical, biological, or other wastewater treatment methods to prepare water for industrial or domestic use.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | 1%Half by Jul 2028 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.