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Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Apply theory and principles of environmental engineering to modify, test, and operate equipment and devices used in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental problems, including waste treatment and site remediation, under the direction of engineering staff or scientists. May assist in the development of environmental remediation devices.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Assist in the cleanup of hazardous material spills.
    • Perform environmental quality work in field or office settings.
    • Improve chemical processes to reduce toxic emissions.
    • Obtain product information, identify vendors or suppliers, or order materials or equipment to maintain inventory.
    • Perform statistical analysis and correction of air or water pollution data submitted by industry or other agencies.
    • Prepare and package environmental samples for shipping or testing.
    • Prepare permit applications or review compliance with environmental permits.
    • Collect and analyze pollution samples, such as air or ground water.
    • Evaluate and select technologies to clean up polluted sites, restore polluted air, water, or soil, or rehabilitate degraded ecosystems.
    • Review work plans to schedule activities.
    • Work with customers to assess the environmental impact of proposed construction or to develop pollution prevention programs.
    • Provide technical engineering support in the planning of projects, such as wastewater treatment plants, to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and policies.
    • Oversee support staff.
    • Assess the ability of environments to naturally remove or reduce conventional or emerging contaminants from air, water, or soil.
    • Decontaminate or test field equipment used to clean or test pollutants from soil, air, or water.
    • Record laboratory or field data, including numerical data, test results, photographs, or summaries of visual observations.
    • Decontaminate or test field equipment used to clean or test pollutants from soil, air, or water.
    • Produce environmental assessment reports, tabulating data and preparing charts, graphs, or sketches.
    • Maintain process parameters and evaluate process anomalies.
    • Prepare permit applications or review compliance with environmental permits.
    • Maintain project logbook records or computer program files.
    • Maintain process parameters and evaluate process anomalies.
    • Work with customers to assess the environmental impact of proposed construction or to develop pollution prevention programs.
    • Create models to demonstrate or predict the process by which pollutants move through or impact an environment.
    • Collect and analyze pollution samples, such as air or ground water.
    • Develop work plans, including writing specifications or establishing material, manpower, or facilities needs.
    • Review technical documents to ensure completeness and conformance to requirements.
    • Inspect facilities to monitor compliance with regulations governing substances, such as asbestos, lead, or wastewater.
    • Receive, set up, test, or decontaminate equipment.
    • Perform environmental quality work in field or office settings.
    • Arrange for the disposal of lead, asbestos, or other hazardous materials.
    • Model biological, chemical, or physical treatment processes to remove or degrade pollutants.

    Skills

    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    Knowledge

    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    Education

    Education
    Associate's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    97020/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    46.64/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    530
    Yearly Projected Openings
    60

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Initiative
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Air pumps
    • Air samplers or collectors
    • Air velocity and temperature monitors
    • Analytical balances
    • Anemometers
    • Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
    • Bench refractometers or polarimeters
    • Benchtop centrifuges
    • Bi distillation units
    • Binocular light compound microscopes
    • Calorimeters
    • Chemical absorption gas analyzers
    • Chemiluminescence or bioluminescence analyzers
    • Chemistry analyzers
    • Chromatographic detectors
    • Conductivity meters
    • Darkfield microscopes
    • Density gradient fractionators
    • Desktop computers
    • Dewatering equipment
    • Digital cameras
    • Dissolved carbon dioxide analyzers
    • Dissolved oxygen meters
    • Dropping pipettes
    • Electronic counters
    • Electrophoresis system accessories
    • Extracting equipment for laboratories
    • Filtering machinery
    • Flame ionization analyzers
    • Flow injection analysis equipment
    • Flowmeters
    • Fluorescent microscopes
    • Forced air or mechanical convection general purpose incubators
    • Freeze dryers or lyopholizers
    • French pressure cells
    • Fume hoods or cupboards
    • Gas chromatographs
    • Gel documentation systems
    • Global positioning system GPS receiver
    • HEPA filtered enclosures
    • Hazardous material protective apparel
    • Heated walk in environmental or growth chambers
    • Heating mantles or tapes
    • Heating or drying equipment or accessories
    • High pressure liquid chromatograph chromatography
    • Hydrocarbons analyzers or detectors
    • Inductively coupled plasma ICP spectrometers
    • Instrumentation for capillary electrophoresis
    • Inverted microscopes
    • Ion chromatographs
    • Ion selective electrode
    • Ion selective electrode ISE meters
    • Isolation glove boxes
    • Laboratory adapters or connectors or fittings
    • Laboratory bailers
    • Laboratory balances
    • Laboratory beakers
    • Laboratory blenders or emulsifiers
    • Laboratory box furnaces
    • Laboratory centrifugal pumps
    • Laboratory flasks
    • Laboratory funnels
    • Laboratory graduated cylinders
    • Laboratory heat exchange condensers
    • Laboratory mechanical convection ovens
    • Laboratory mixers
    • Laboratory safety furnaces
    • Laboratory vacuum pumps
    • Laminar flow cabinets or stations
    • Land drilling rigs
    • Laser printers
    • Lasers
    • Leak testing equipment
    • Light scattering equipment
    • Liquid scintillation counters
    • Magnetic stirrers
    • Mainframe computers
    • Mass spectrometers
    • Microcentrifuges
    • Microplate readers
    • Microscope slides
    • Multipurpose or general test tubes
    • Nephelometers
    • Nitrogen or nitrate or nitrite analyzer
    • Notebook computers
    • Nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectrometers
    • Open stream water level recorders
    • Optical diffraction apparatus
    • Orbital shakers
    • Orbital shaking water baths
    • Organic carbon analyzers
    • Ozone analyzers
    • Ozone generator
    • Particle size measuring apparatus
    • Penetrometers
    • Peristaltic pumps
    • Permeability testing apparatus
    • Personal computers
    • Photo attachments for microscopes
    • Photometer
    • Portable data input terminals
    • Potentiometers
    • Rapid amplification or complementary deoxyribonucleic acid ends RACE technology products
    • Reactors or fermenters or digesters
    • Reciprocating pumps
    • Refrigerated benchtop centrifuges
    • Respirators
    • Reverse osmosis equipment
    • Robotic or automated liquid handling systems
    • Sample oxidizer
    • Scanners
    • Scanning light or spinning disk or laser scanning microscopes
    • Scanning probe microscopes
    • Shaking incubators
    • Soil core sampling apparatus
    • Soil testing kits
    • Spectrofluorimeters or fluorimeters
    • Spectrometers
    • Spectrophotometers
    • Standard fermentation units
    • Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
    • Sterilization cabinets
    • Stirring hotplates
    • Surface tension measuring instruments
    • Thermal conductivity analyzers
    • Thermocouples
    • Titration equipment
    • Transmission electron microscopes
    • Turbidimeters
    • Ultra cold or ultralow upright cabinets or freezers
    • Ultra pure water systems
    • Ultrafiltration equipment
    • Ultrasonic cleaning equipment
    • Vacuum or rotary evaporators
    • Video attachments for microscopes
    • Vortex mixers
    • Water analyzers
    • Water baths
    • Water meters
    • Water samplers
    • pH meters

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Categorization or classification software
    • Compliance software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Desktop publishing software
    • Development environment software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Industrial control software
    • Internet browser software
    • Map creation software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software