Bottle water the lab can trace
Fill the sample bottle, write down how you collected it, and log each person who handles it.
Career profile
Environmental Science and Protection Technician
Environmental technicians collect water, air and soil samples, then test them for pollutants.
Start with a small bottle of water or scoop of soil and turn it into numbers. Those numbers help show what caused a site's contamination.
A day in the life
Calibrate the sampling device
Run the calibration, log that it's done, and work out what's wrong if the readings don't pass.
Measure lead in particles
Prepare the collected material, then run it on lab instruments to measure contaminants, such as lead in particles.
Chart results and explain them
Sort the results in spreadsheet software, build a chart, then walk coworkers or clients through what it shows.
Quick facts
Usually an associate's degree
United States
$55,090 a year
United States · May 2025
7% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Usually an associate's degreeRequirements range from high school to a bachelor's degree.
Pay
$55,090 a yearNational median, equivalent to $26.49 an hour; not starting pay.
Outlook
7% projected growthNational employment projection for 2025–2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy science that involves handling samples and equipment.
- You can stay careful through repeated measurements and recordkeeping.
- You like explaining what numbers show.
Things to weigh
- Field days can mean bad weather, heavy equipment, and long periods on your feet.
- Some wastewater sampling jobs include overnight, weekend, or holiday shifts.
Where AI may help
In wastewater work, automatic samplers collect material, while laboratory databases track samples and records.
What people still lead
You still set up equipment, check its condition, and resolve problems at the sampling site.
What we can’t predict yet
How much collection can be automated depends on the site and sample; changing field conditions may still require a visit.
Pay in context
Earnings
Compare both the pay range and the workplace.
The national spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned below $38,170; the highest-paid 10% earned above $94,160. These are wage percentiles, not beginner and senior salaries.
Workplace differences
Median annual pay was $64,070 in local government, excluding education and hospitals, versus $48,440 in testing laboratories and services.
Openings across the country
About 5,300 openings are projected annually, including replacements for people leaving the occupation.
Getting started
Study environmental science technology
- What the route involves
- Earn an associate degree with chemistry and biology labs, environmental sampling, and sample analysis.
- What it can lead to
- Build practical preparation for environmental sampling and laboratory technician positions.
Take a bachelor's route
- What the route involves
- Complete a relevant bachelor's degree, such as environmental science, chemistry, or biology.
- What it can lead to
- Meet the degree requirement for some sampling and laboratory quality roles that require four-year study.
- What to check
- Check the full job requirements: field roles may also require a valid driver's license.
You generally work under an environmental scientist, engineer, or another specialist. Match your education to the positions you want.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the sample collection, storage, and transport procedures until your records and handoffs are dependable.
Handle field problems
Build skill in troubleshooting automatic samplers and adapting to changed site conditions without losing accurate records.
Move into senior sampling work
With experience and the employer's required qualifications, progress toward coordinating fieldwork and training newer technicians.
Where you can work
Wastewater utility field crews
Travel among sampling locations and work around automatic samplers. Weather and access conditions shape the day.
- Field work
- Outdoors
- Vehicle
- Physical demands
Environmental laboratory support
Work with laboratory bench staff to receive samples, prepare sampling kits, and maintain quality records. Careful handoffs keep testing organized.
- Indoors
- Lab
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Fill three clean containers with tap water. Give each an ID and record its tap location, collection time, and collector. Ask someone to match each container to your log. Notice whether you enjoy making a sample's history easy to trace.
Stay safe: Use only tap water for this recordkeeping exercise; it does not test whether water is safe.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Environmental Science and Protection Technicians. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor. Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Broward College. Associate of Science in Environmental Science Technology. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- North Carolina Community College System. Environmental Science Technology. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Metro Water Recovery. Environmental Sampling Multi-Level Posting (Technician/Specialist I/II/III). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Orange County Sanitation District. Environmental Specialist (Quality Assurance/Sampling). Accessed 2026-10-03.