Senior Hydrogeologist (Hydrogeologist 4)
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This position is eligible for 7.5% assignment pay.
Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen
The Department of Ecology is hiring a Senior Hydrogeologist (Hydrogeologist 4) within the Water Quality Program.
Location:
- Central Region Office in Union Gap, WA.
- Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.
Schedule:
- This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
- For the first month, the position will be required to work full time in the office, but after successful completion of onboarding and training, the position may be eligible for up to a 90% telework schedule with 10% of the time spent in-office.
- Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.
Application Timeline:
- Apply by September 3, 2025.
- This position will remain open until filled. The agency reserves the right to make a hire at any time after application review begins. Applications received after the above date may not be considered.
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Duties
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As the Senior Hydrogeologist for the Central Regional Office (CRO) Water Quality Industrial Unit, you will be in the forefront of emerging groundwater related issues, land application, reclaimed water use, and trends associated with industrial wastewater treatment and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination/State Waste Discharge permitting. You will assist in fulfilling the Water Quality Program’s mission by providing hydrogeologic knowledge and regulatory oversight of industrial wastewater discharges to protect and preserve water quality in Washington state. You will use your experience and knowledge of groundwater, industrial discharges to ground, land treatment applications and wastewater trends and issues to take a key role in oversight of groundwater projects in the Section and water quality permitting in the Region. Your expertise in hydrogeology will support a rapidly growing Water Quality program and industrial sector in the Central Region.
You will work closely with Central Region Office Water Quality Industrial Unit staff, regulated entities, and the public to provide regulatory oversight of industrial and municipal wastewater discharges. In this position, you will also have primary responsibility for providing hydrogeologic expertise to groundwater projects in the Section. Permits issued by the Industrial Unit are critical to protecting and maintaining water quality, supporting growth in our state, and keeping our communities healthy and thriving. You will be a key partner in our collective efforts to protect public health, the waterways, and the environment in Washington state.What you will do:
- Negotiate and prepare wastewater discharge permits (State Waste Discharge (SWD) & National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)) for industrial facilities.
- Apply conventional geology and hydrogeology principles and practices to verify that submitted hydrogeological assessments and documents conform to requirements in relevant state and federal laws and regulations.
- Implement state Groundwater Quality Standards in wastewater discharge permits, utilizing groundwater monitoring data, statistical analysis and hydrogeologic assessments to derive permit conditions, and to determine compliance with permit requirements.
- Represent the agency in technical negotiations with private parties and their consultants to resolve complex environmental issues involving regulatory interpretation and compliance; treatment technologies and the feasibility of their applications, permit limits, conditions, and applicability; and water quality investigations, pollutant sampling, documentation, data interpretation, and quality assurance.
- Apply a working knowledge of groundwater, reclaimed water, and potential impacts wastewater collection systems and their components found at industrial wastewater treatment facilities have on surface and groundwater to conduct permit compliance inspections, prepare inspection reports, and communicate findings to facilities.
- Collaborate with other Ecology hydrogeologists to interpret and, when necessary, revise internal and external land treatment guidance materials.
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Qualifications
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For detailed information on how we calculate experience, please visit our Recruitment website.
Required Qualifications:
Possession of a valid Washington State Hydrogeologist Specialty license
AND
Nine (9) years of experience and/or education as described below:- Experience as a hydrogeologist, hydrologist, geologist, or closely allied profession.
- Education involving a major study in hydrogeology, hydrology, geology, or closely allied field.
Examples of how to qualify:
- 9 years of experience.
- 8 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
- 7 years of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).
- 6 years of experience AND 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter college credits.
- 5 years of experience AND a Bachelor’s degree.
- 3 years of experience AND a Master’s degree.
- 2 years of experience AND a Ph.D.
Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:
- Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.
- This position requires possession of a valid Washington State Hydrogeologist specialty license within 6 months after hiring.
NOTE: Individuals who are interested in applying to this position, and believe they meet licensing requirements for the State of Washington based on reciprocity, are responsible for ensuring they meet licensing requirements for the State of Washington prior to submitting their application materials. These requirements can be found at the following website: WA State Licensing (DOL) Official Site: How to get your license: Geologists, engineering geologists, or hydrogeologists by reciprocity.
