Welcome to H2Opportunity!
Purpose ... Make a difference in your world
Protect ... The environment and your community
Purpose … Make a difference in your world
Do you want a career that makes a difference? Have you ever thought about working in water? When you turn on the faucet to brush your teeth, do you ever wonder where the water came from? Do you ever think about the journey a drop of water takes to get to you? How about when it runs down the drain…what happens to it? Where does it go?
Simply put, water is the foundation of all living things. Our bodies need it to live but we need it for so much more! Cleaning, flushing, animal habitat, irrigation, agriculture, manufacturing, fire-fighting, power generation, recreation…the list goes on and on! Think of the difference YOU can make working with such an important resource!
Here in the U.S., we are incredibly lucky to have seemingly unlimited amounts of clean, fresh drinking water available at our fingertips! But it doesn’t just magically happen. Behind the scenes, there are a myriad of water professionals working tirelessly to make sure your community has the water to use in all the ways it needs to. Water professionals work every day with purpose, knowing that the job they do is critical to the lives and livelihood of the community they work in. You could have a career with purpose. Working in the water industry allows you to make a difference, a positive impact on your world.
Protect … The environment and your community
There is nothing better than a tall glass of water when you are thirsty! We turn on the faucet, fill a glass with tap water, and take a big refreshing gulp without a thought. We know that our tap water is safe to drink. It is the water professionals who make sure you have safe drinking water and are ultimately responsible for the public health of the community. And we take that job very seriously. Water Professionals protect the health of our communities.
Firefighters must be ready at a moment’s notice to rush to extinguish a fire. What would happen if they arrived on the scene, tried to turn on a hydrant and nothing came out? It would be a disaster! The water professional is also a part of public safety because they make sure firefighters have their most important tool to battle a fire, water. The water professional keeps the water mains, fire hydrants and all the infrastructure in between healthy to ensure water is available anytime an emergency arises. Water Professionals provide safety to our communities through fire protection.
Animals need water too. Wildlife like deer and birds drink from a stream. For turtles, frogs and fish, a stream or river is their home. They live completely immersed in it. What if that water is polluted? Then the animals would be unhealthy or may not survive in a polluted environment. Water professionals help protect the animals too. When you use water and it goes down the drain (or you flush it), the dirty water or “wastewater” goes into the sanitary sewer system. This wastewater collection system takes the used water away from homes and businesses and carries it safely contained to a wastewater treatment plant where it is treated to strict standards and returned to the environment. Water professionals are responsible for keeping wastewater in the collection system, treating the wastewater and making sure it is cleaned to high standards before it goes back to a river. Water Professionals protect the environment, for humans and for animals alike!
Pathway …To your future
The water industry has a significant workforce and large variety of jobs that keep water, wastewater, and stormwater systems working properly. Jobs like engineer, environmental educator, system operator, laboratory analyst, GIS specialist, heavy equipment operator, asset manager, customer service representative, treatment plant operator, compliance inspector, resource planner, and SCADA technician are just a few of the jobs that make up the water industry. Operating and maintaining a water system requires many people with different areas of expertise working in concert to deliver a safe product and provide effective service to a community. With such a varied range of opportunities, there is bound to be a job in the water industry that fits your interests, talents, and long-term career goals. There is a career path for YOU in the water industry.