Working and Careers in Water and Aquatic Science

A water quality regulator enforces clean water laws

Photo credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

The federal Clean Water Act was passed to protect our waters from pollution and misuse. States also have laws to protect water. A water quality regulator enforces clean water laws. They work for agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Workers in these agencies monitor water pollution and may collect data that result in finding polluters. They test water quality and collect water samples for chemical and biological analysis. These jobs require a college degree in science.

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Texas Aquatic Science is a cooperative education project sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife, The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. Additional project support came from the Ewing Halsell Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Sport Fish Restoration Program. Rudolph Rosen, Ph.D. wrote and edited the Texas Aquatic Science textbook. Videos were produced by Randall Maxwell. Sandra Johnson, Ph.D. served as educational consultant and authored the accompanying Teacher’s Guide.