Water Resource Consultant

Having a river, lake, or stream on a construction site can be both a blessing and a curse. That water can be used to do work, but there are complex laws that must be followed. A Water Resource Consultant helps Contractors navigate these issues.

As a Water Resource Consultant, you provide advice at the beginning of a project. While a Water Resource Consultant is rarely involved in actual construction tasks, the work you do helps the team come up with a viable plan. At times, your work may even convince Contractors and Engineers to scrap the site entirely and look for a new place to build.

Maps of the area are crucial to your work, and you study where the water on the site is coming from and where it is headed. You also study erosion reports, rainfall statistics, and sediment data. Often, you create detailed maps of your own that combine this data.

The owner may want to use water to heat the building, for example, or the building may rely on water to push turbines to keep the lights on. At times, clients want to make major alterations to the water’s path, clearing sediment out or asking the water to run to the northeast instead of the northwest. Often, these plans run counter to water use laws, and you determine how the plans can be tweaked to help the site stay in compliance.

When your studies are complete, you write reports for your clients. In these documents, you detail how the project should progress and you give estimates of the cost of the work.