Written by: Zachary Hill, Chief of Staff

Jobs In Water Make Every Drop Count

A faucet turns on, and clean water appears.

It feels simple because it is supposed to. You brush your teeth, fill a water bottle, rinse an apple, wash your hands, or refill the dog bowl without holding a community infrastructure meeting in your kitchen. That everyday ease is the point.

Behind that simple moment, though, is a huge team of people making sure California communities have safe, reliable water. They operate treatment plants, monitor water quality, repair systems, design infrastructure, manage public dollars, communicate with residents, support employees, and help communities understand conservation. In other words, water does not just “show up.” People make it possible.

For high school students thinking about the future, that makes the water industry worth a closer look. It is practical, purpose-driven, and connected to daily life in a way few careers are. Every home, school, hospital, restaurant, farm, fire station, and business depends on water. That means the work matters on ordinary days and especially during emergencies.

Water careers also come in more shapes than many students realize. A student who likes science might be drawn to water quality testing or environmental work. A student who enjoys hands-on problem solving might explore treatment plant operations, maintenance, mechanics, or field crews. A student who likes math, maps, or building things might see a future in engineering or system design. A student who is creative might find a place in public relations, graphic design, conservation campaigns, or community education. A student who likes organization and people might explore human resources, finance, customer service, or program coordination.

The water industry needs all of those talents. It is not only a pathway for students who already know they want to be engineers or scientists. It is also a pathway for students who are curious, reliable, observant, and ready to learn. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators, for example, manage systems that treat and move water, often using computerized equipment, testing samples, recording data, and responding when something needs attention (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

There is also real earning potential. In California, water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators earn an average of $82,100 per year, according to ONET data based on Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 wage data (ONET OnLine). For students who want meaningful work with room to grow, that is worth knowing.

The timing matters, too. California’s water agencies are preparing for the future as experienced workers retire and competition for skilled talent grows. Nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 10,700 openings each year for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators over the next decade, largely because workers transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force, including retirement (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

That is where Tomorrow’s Water enters the picture. Launched by the ACWA Foundation and Tomorrow’s Talent, Tomorrow’s Water is a statewide initiative designed to help connect students, educators, and water agencies so more young people can explore careers in California’s water industry. The initiative is focused on career exploration, work-based learning, internships, education partnerships, and workforce development strategies that help students see the water sector as a real and reachable path (Tomorrow’s Talent).

Tomorrow’s Talent will develop a co-branded High School Internship Program Toolkit and Implementation Training Program for participating agencies. The goal is to help water agencies design, launch, and sustain high-quality high school internship opportunities with resources for supervisors, mentors, recruitment, college partnerships, and evaluation (Tomorrow’s Talent).

The next time a faucet turns on, think about the people behind that moment. Think about the operators, engineers, communicators, mechanics, accountants, designers, and community educators who make reliable water possible.

Then think about this: one of those careers could start with an internship.