Summer Intern, Clean Water and Technology (25-CW&T-810600-035)

DC Water and Sewer Authority • Washington, DC

376d

About The Position

At DC Water, we provide more than 700,000 District of Columbia residents and 24.6 million annual visitors with essential water, wastewater, and stormwater services. DC Water also provides wholesale wastewater treatment services for 1.8 million people in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. We aspire to be known for superior service, ingenuity, and stewardship to advance the health and well-being of our diverse workforce and communities. To achieve this vision, we commit to our shared mission every day-exceeding expectations by providing high quality water services in a safe, environmentally friendly, and efficient manner. WWT-Clean Rivers is seeking multiple interns to support various research projects focused on advancing wastewater treatment solutions and improving operational efficiency. The following intern positions are available: PdNA Startup Pilot Intern, Primary Sludge Fermentation Intern, Primary Sludge Kinetic Studies Intern, Secondary High-Rate Pilot Study Intern, Nitrate-Based Aeration Control Intern, Camera-Based Polymer Dosing Control Development Intern, Phosphorus Mass Balance and Ferric Chloride Use Intern, PFAS Sampling and Source Evaluation Intern.

Requirements

• Coursework or experience in environmental, chemical, mechanical engineering, or related fields.
• Basic laboratory experience and familiarity with wastewater treatment processes.
• Must be currently enrolled fulltime in an undergraduate or graduate program.
• Must have at least 30 credit hours complete.
• Must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Ability to work effectively in team settings and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Effective communication skills for presenting findings and working with a diverse group of researchers and engineers.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience in wastewater treatment or process optimization.
• Prior experience with large-scale process testing, field sampling, or data analysis.
• Research experience related to water quality, sludge fermentation, PFAS, or energy efficiency in wastewater treatment.
• Prior research or internship experience in environmental systems.
• Familiarity with process optimization, laboratory testing, or pilot-scale studies.
• Knowledge of PFAS, phosphorus removal, aeration control systems, or polymer dosing technologies.

Responsibilities

• Assist in full-scale or pilot-scale testing and process optimization across various wastewater treatment processes.
• Conduct laboratory tests, field sampling, data collection, and analysis.
• Collaborate with engineers and research teams to implement research findings into real-world applications.
• Report findings and contribute to the development of operational guidelines or process improvements.

Benefits

• Real-world experience on exciting projects.
• Connections with recent college graduates and company leaders.
• Performance of assignments under the direct supervision of a department lead.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Industry: Administration of Environmental Quality Programs
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees