Will “Hydro Operator” be Automated?

Core Skills & Abilities

• Answer technical questions from hydrologists, policymakers, or other customers developing water conservation plans.

• Prepare, install, maintain, or repair equipment used for hydrologic study, such as water level recorders, stream flow gauges, and water analyzers.

• Provide real time data to emergency management and weather service personnel during flood events.

• Collect water and soil samples to test for physical, chemical, or biological properties, such as pH, oxygen level, temperature, and pollution.

• Estimate the costs and benefits of municipal projects, such as hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, and wastewater treatment facilities.

• Apply research findings to minimize the environmental impacts of pollution, waterborne diseases, erosion, or sedimentation.

• Develop computer models for hydrologic predictions.

• Assist in designing programs to ensure the proper sealing of abandoned wells.

• Locate and deliver information or data as requested by customers, such as contractors, government entities, and members of the public.

• Investigate the properties, origins, or activities of glaciers, ice, snow, or permafrost.

• Investigate complaints or conflicts related to the alteration of public waters by gathering information, recommending alternatives, or preparing legal documents.

• Write materials for research publications, such as maps, tables, and reports, to disseminate findings.

• Analyze ecological data about the impact of pollution, erosion, floods, and other environmental problems on bodies of water.

• Perform quality control checks on data to be used by hydrologists.

• Measure the properties of bodies of water, such as water levels, volume, and flow.

• Write groundwater contamination reports on known, suspected, or potential hazardous waste sites.