SOC 17-2051.00 · Hydropower

Hydrologic / Civil Engineer: $95,890 Median Pay

Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.

Median Annual Wage

$95,890
BLS OES national median for SOC 17-2051.00.

O*NET Job Zone

4 / 5
Bachelor's degree

Sector

Hydropower
20 alternate job titles · 10 related occupations

1. What They Actually Do

Complete task inventory from O*NET (16 tasks).

  1. Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations. (Core)
  2. Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site. (Core)
  3. Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards. (Core)
  4. Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications. (Core)
  5. Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools. (Core)
  6. Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs. (Core)
  7. Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data. (Core)
  8. Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction. (Core)
  9. Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility. (Core)
  10. Prepare or present public reports on topics such as bid proposals, deeds, environmental impact statements, or property and right-of-way descriptions. (Core)
  11. Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures. (Core)
  12. Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel. (Supplemental)
  13. Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects. (Supplemental)
  14. Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact. (Supplemental)
  15. Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites. (Supplemental)
  16. Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes. (Supplemental)

2. Required Competencies

2.1 Skills

Active Listening4.00
Complex Problem Solving3.88
Critical Thinking3.88
Mathematics3.88
Speaking3.88
Reading Comprehension3.88
Time Management3.75
Systems Analysis3.75
Science3.75
Operations Analysis3.62

2.2 Knowledge

Design4.70
Engineering and Technology4.67
Building and Construction4.53
Mathematics4.48
English Language4.00
Physics3.71
Administration and Management3.62
Customer and Personal Service3.43
Law and Government3.24
Public Safety and Security3.24

2.3 Abilities

Inductive Reasoning4.00
Deductive Reasoning4.00
Problem Sensitivity4.00
Written Expression4.00
Oral Expression4.00
Written Comprehension4.00
Oral Comprehension4.00
Mathematical Reasoning3.88
Information Ordering3.88
Near Vision3.75

2.4 Work Styles

Integrity4.57
Dependability4.48
Analytical Thinking4.38
Attention to Detail4.38
Initiative4.05
Self-Control3.81
Stress Tolerance3.76
Achievement/Effort3.76
Cooperation3.71
Persistence3.71

3. Day-to-Day Work

3.1 Generalized Work Activities

Getting Information4.57
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.45
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.29
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment4.14
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.14
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.14
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others4.10
Working with Computers4.10
Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.05
Scheduling Work and Activities4.05

3.2 Work Context (5-point scale)

Electronic Mail5.00
Telephone4.90
Face-to-Face Discussions4.76
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.40
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.38
Work With Work Group or Team4.38
Contact With Others4.19
Spend Time Sitting4.14
Time Pressure4.00
Structured versus Unstructured Work4.00

4. Education, Training & Experience

PT

On-Site or In-Plant Training42.9%
On-Site or In-Plant Training19.1%
On-Site or In-Plant Training9.5%
On-Site or In-Plant Training9.5%
On-Site or In-Plant Training9.5%
On-Site or In-Plant Training4.8%

Related Work Experience (Years)

Related Work Experience28.6%
Related Work Experience23.8%
Related Work Experience23.8%
Related Work Experience14.3%
Related Work Experience4.8%
Related Work Experience4.8%

OJ

On-the-Job Training19.1%
On-the-Job Training14.3%
On-the-Job Training14.3%
On-the-Job Training14.3%
On-the-Job Training14.3%
On-the-Job Training9.5%

Required Level of Education

Required Level of Education85.7%
Required Level of Education9.5%
Required Level of Education4.8%
Required Level of Education0.0%
Required Level of Education0.0%
Required Level of Education0.0%

IM

Job-Related Professional Certification4.1%
Apprenticeship2.7%

5. Interests (Holland Codes)

Realistic6.36
Investigative5.11
Conventional4.63
Enterprising2.90
Artistic2.15
Social1.79

6. Work Values

Independence6.00
Working Conditions5.50
Recognition5.33
Achievement5.33
Support4.67
Relationships4.00

7. Technology & Tools

Software and tools used by people in this role, per O*NET. “Hot” technologies are flagged by O*NET as in-demand.

Adobe Acrobat 🔥 Apache Subversion SVN 🔥 Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥 Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D 🔥 Autodesk Revit 🔥 Bentley MicroStation 🔥 C 🔥 Dassault Systemes SolidWorks 🔥 ESRI ArcGIS software 🔥 Extensible markup language XML 🔥 Microsoft Access 🔥 Microsoft Dynamics 🔥 Microsoft Excel 🔥 Microsoft Office software 🔥 Microsoft Outlook 🔥 Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥 Microsoft Project 🔥 Microsoft Visual Basic 🔥 Microsoft Word 🔥 Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management 🔥 Procore software 🔥 SAP software 🔥 Shell script 🔥 The MathWorks MATLAB 🔥 Trimble SketchUp Pro 🔥 Autodesk Land Desktop Bentley GeoPak Bridge Bentley Haestad Methods CivilStorm Bentley InRoads Suite Bentley STAAD

8. Also Known As

20 alternate job titles used by employers for this occupation.

Airport Engineer Architectural Engineer Asphalt Engineer Base Engineer Bridge Design Engineer Bridge Engineer Building Construction Engineer Building Engineer Cadastral Engineer Cartographic Engineer City Engineer Civil Engineer Civil Project Engineer Concrete Engineer Condemnation Engineer Construction Engineer Construction Project Engineer Contracting Engineer County Engineer Demolition Engineer

9. Related Occupations

Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
SOC 17-3022.00 · Primary-Short
Transportation Engineers
SOC 17-2051.01 · Primary-Short
Construction Managers
SOC 11-9021.00 · Primary-Short
Water/Wastewater Engineers
SOC 17-2051.02 · Primary-Short
Construction and Building Inspectors
SOC 47-4011.00 · Primary-Short
Environmental Engineers
SOC 17-2081.00 · Primary-Long
Architectural and Civil Drafters
SOC 17-3011.00 · Primary-Long
Architectural and Engineering Managers
SOC 11-9041.00 · Primary-Long
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
SOC 17-2151.00 · Primary-Long
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
SOC 17-1011.00 · Primary-Long

Data source: O*NET Database 29.1 (tasks, skills, knowledge, abilities, work activities, work context, education, technology, alternate titles, related occupations); BLS OES (median wage).

Last updated: April 2026.