Water management specialists work in state or municipal environmental administrations, in public utilities or in firms of consulting engineers. They design and monitor all interventions in above and below-ground water: They plan and monitor the construction, operation and maintenance of water supply and disposal facilities, landscape lakes, rivers and canals and co-operate on measures for the protection of water quantity and quality.
Occupational skills
Water management specialists carry out technical specialist work, in particular measuring, drawing and monitoring activities as well as managerial and administrative work independently and in cooperation with others, both in the office and in the field. They work manually and use data and information processing systems and communications and telematics technology. They observe the provisions of water and soil conservation law and of nature and environmental protection legislation as well as water management regulations.
Water management specialists
- survey land, lakes, rivers and canals and facilities and represent them in maps
- carry out, evaluate and present water level and flow measurements
- take samples from lakes, rivers and canals and from facilities and document them
- draw, construct and calculate blueprints for water supply and sewage disposal plants as well as for surface water renaturing and for flood and coastal protection schemes
- prepare or process documents for announcements, permits and inshore water use procedures and co-operate in the implementation of these procedures
- co-operate in the drawing-up of water management and action plans
- carry out local investigations and prepare documents for assessment procedures for water conservation areas and declaratory procedures for flood areas
- co-ordinate water management plans with other plans and with bodies responsible for public matters
- co-operate in studies and in the decontamination of soils and rivers, lakes and canalsprepare public tenders for building work and draw up estimates
- monitor building work, take on-site measurements, draw up and check invoice statements
- monitor water conservation and flood areas
- carry out inspections of water supply and sewage facilities and monitor water use
- carry out inspections of businesses and facilities as regards the handling of hazardous substances.
