Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urban Water Resources Engineer

🎯 Role Definition

The Urban Water Resources Engineer is responsible for planning, designing, modeling, and implementing sustainable urban drainage and stormwater systems that reduce flood risk, improve water quality, and support resilient city growth. This role merges civil and environmental engineering expertise — including hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, stormwater best management practice (BMP) design, permitting and regulatory compliance (NPDES/MS4), GIS analysis, and stakeholder coordination — to deliver engineering solutions for municipalities, developers, and public infrastructure programs.

Key focus areas: stormwater management, urban drainage and flood mitigation, green infrastructure (LID), water quality treatment design, floodplain and hydraulic modeling, construction support, and regulatory permitting.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Civil or environmental engineering graduate (BSCE/BSEnvE) with internship experience in water resources or stormwater design.
Engineering Technician or CAD/GIS specialist supporting drainage and stormwater projects.
Hydrology/Hydraulics Analyst or EIT within an engineering consulting firm or municipal public works department.

Advancement To:

Senior Water Resources Engineer / Project Manager (managing multiple urban drainage projects).
Principal Engineer / Technical Lead (specializing in flood risk, hydraulic modeling, or green infrastructure programs).
Department Manager or Director of Water Resources, Municipal Public Works.
Regional Practice Lead for Water Resources / Stormwater Services in consulting firms.

Lateral Moves:

Flood Risk Analyst or Resilience Specialist (climate adaptation focus).
Environmental Permitting Specialist (NPDES/MS4, wetlands).
Urban Planner with a focus on integrated water management.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the planning, engineering design, and technical delivery of urban stormwater and drainage projects, including the sizing, layout, and hydraulic calculations for conveyance systems, detention/retention basins, culverts, storm sewers, and open channels to meet municipal standards and reduce flood risk.
Perform advanced hydrologic and hydraulic modeling using EPA SWMM, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, MIKE URBAN or similar tools to simulate storm events, watershed runoff, and conveyance system behavior, and translate model outputs into actionable design criteria and client deliverables.
Prepare detailed drainage reports, floodplain analyses, technical memoranda, and design documents that document methodology, assumptions, model runs, and recommended mitigation measures for municipal review and permitting.
Design green infrastructure and low impact development (LID) solutions — such as bioswales, permeable pavement, rain gardens, infiltration trenches, and stormwater tree pits — integrating water quality treatment objectives and site constraints to meet regulatory requirements and sustainability goals.
Manage and coordinate permitting activities with federal, state and local agencies (including NPDES, MS4 permit compliance, FEMA floodplain, wetlands, and local stormwater authorities), prepare permit applications, and respond to agency comments until approval.
Conduct site assessments and field investigations, including surveying hydraulic structures, measuring invert elevations, documenting existing drainage conditions, and performing topographic and GIS-based watershed delineation and site-specific analysis.
Provide stormwater quality modeling and pollutant loading analyses (using tools like WQv or proprietary load models) and design BMPs to meet water quality treatment standards and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements.
Produce construction drawings, specifications, cost estimates, and bid package documentation using AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation, or other CAD platforms; ensure designs conform to civil engineering standards and municipal design manuals.
Prepare and review stormwater operation & maintenance (O&M) plans, inspection checklists, and lifecycle cost analyses for long-term performance of stormwater facilities and green infrastructure systems.
Lead cross-discipline project teams (transportation, utilities, landscape architecture) to integrate drainage design with site grading, roadways, sewer systems, and urban redevelopment projects, ensuring coordination of interfaces and clash avoidance.
Provide technical oversight during construction: respond to RFI’s, review shop drawings, perform site inspections, and validate as-built documentation to confirm compliance with design intent and permit conditions.
Conduct flood risk assessments and post-construction flood mitigation planning including floodplain mapping updates, scenario analysis for climate change impacts, sea-level rise, and extreme precipitation projections.
Author clear, client-facing technical reports, grant applications, scope proposals, and presentation materials for stakeholders, including council members, community groups, and regulatory agencies.
Develop and implement monitoring and performance evaluation programs for installed stormwater systems, analyzing monitoring data to recommend adaptive management and optimization strategies.
Use GIS to create, analyze and present spatial datasets for watershed delineation, impervious area mapping, infrastructure inventories, and overlay analyses for planning and permitting tasks.
Collaborate with environmental scientists and ecologists to evaluate ecological impacts of stormwater systems and to design nature-based solutions that support habitat, biodiversity, and urban green space.
Support climate resiliency planning by incorporating future-condition rainfall intensity-frequency-duration (IFD) curves, design storm adjustments, and resiliency strategies into long-term infrastructure planning and capital improvement programs.
Lead quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) of modeling inputs, calculations, design drawings, and subconsultant deliverables to maintain technical integrity and reduce project risk.
Mentor junior engineers and technicians: review design work, provide technical training on hydraulic/hydrologic modeling and design standards, and support career development within the water resources team.
Manage project budgets, schedules, and client communications for multiple concurrent urban water resources assignments, maintaining profitability and on-time delivery of engineering services.
Develop and maintain client relationships with municipalities, developers, utility owners, and regulatory agencies; prepare proposals and scope-of-work documents to win new work in urban stormwater and flood management.
Stay current with industry standards, local codes, FEMA guidance, and best practices in stormwater management, attending conferences and contributing to technical committees or municipal workshops.

(Additional responsibilities often found in job postings include coordination with utility relocations, infiltration testing oversight, and implementation of erosion and sediment control plans during construction.)

Secondary Functions

Support interdisciplinary reviews of master drainage plans by contributing hydraulic calculations, recommended prioritization for capital projects, and cost-benefit analyses for retrofit opportunities.
Assist in developing municipal stormwater policies and design manuals by providing practical design guidance, standard detail templates, and regulatory compliance language.
Compile data and prepare GIS-based dashboards or interactive maps to help cities visualize flood risk, stormwater asset condition, and investment prioritization for capital improvement planning.
Assist procurement teams with technical evaluation of contractor bids, vendor products for BMPs, and constructability reviews to ensure deliverables meet performance goals.
Contribute technical text and figures for grant proposals and funding applications related to flood mitigation, resilience, green infrastructure, and community-scale water quality improvements.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Hydraulic and hydrologic modeling expertise: EPA SWMM, HEC-RAS (1D/2D), HEC-HMS, MIKE URBAN or equivalent.
Stormwater system design: detention/retention basins, storm sewers, culverts, open channel systems, pump stations, and outlet structures.
Green infrastructure and LID design: bioswales, permeable pavements, rain gardens, infiltration systems, and integrated bioretention.
Regulatory permitting and compliance: NPDES, MS4 program requirements, FEMA floodplain permitting, wetlands permitting processes.
Water quality modeling and pollutant loading assessment: SWMM water quality modules, BMP performance curves, TMDL understanding.
GIS and spatial analysis: ArcGIS/ArcGIS Pro, QGIS for watershed delineation, impervious mapping, and spatial data visualization.
CAD and drafting: AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation for production of construction-ready plans and details.
Construction administration and field inspection: RFI review, submittal evaluation, as-built verification, and QA/QC during construction.
Survey interpretation and topographic data handling: LiDAR point clouds, contours, cross-sections for hydraulic modeling inputs.
Programming and data analysis: Python, R, MATLAB, or scripting for automation of repetitive modeling tasks, data processing and visualization.
Floodplain mapping and risk assessment: FEMA flood maps, floodplain modeling, stakeholder communication for evacuation or mitigation plans.
Cost estimating and budgeting: preliminary and detailed cost estimates for stormwater infrastructure and capital projects.
Remote sensing and monitoring technologies: use of sensors, telemetry, and instrumentation for performance monitoring of BMPs.
Technical writing and report preparation: producing clear engineering reports, permit narratives, and client deliverables that align with municipal review expectations.

Soft Skills

Strong written and verbal communication tailored to engineers, agency reviewers, and non-technical stakeholders.
Client-facing relationship management with the ability to negotiate scope, present technical findings, and build trust with municipal clients.
Problem-solving and critical thinking to synthesize modeling results into practical, cost-effective engineering solutions.
Project management: multi-tasking, prioritization, scheduling, and budget management across multiple projects.
Team leadership and mentorship experience with a collaborative approach to develop junior staff.
Stakeholder engagement and public presentation skills for community meetings and public hearings.
Attention to detail and strong organizational skills for QA/QC of technical deliverables.
Adaptability to regulatory changes and evolving climate data for resilient design decisions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, or closely related engineering discipline (ABET-accredited preferred).

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Hydrology, or related field; professional certifications or postgraduate coursework in flood risk, hydraulics, or hydrology preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Civil Engineering (Water Resources emphasis)
Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering
Geospatial Science / GIS for Water Resources
Urban Planning with emphasis on Water and Resilience

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–10+ years of progressively responsible experience in urban stormwater and water resources engineering for consulting firms, municipal agencies, or public works departments.

Preferred:

5+ years of direct experience in urban drainage design, hydraulic/hydrologic modeling, permit coordination (NPDES/MS4, FEMA), and construction administration. Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or working towards PE licensure strongly preferred. Experience managing small teams and project budgets is a plus.