Had about 6 hours or so budgeted for a preliminary very quick turnaround report, which I managed to get done within budget and the client signed it off. As it was a time sensitive report I flagged a potential risk to development and recommended further consultation with a third party/local authority to confirm further details. They were subsequently contacted and provided further details, which were in line with my thoughts and do present a developmental risk. Now the planning PM seems to think it's something I've missed because the additional details weren't included in the original report, which they also signed off on (??). I've done pretty well in consulting generally, but come on, sometimes you just can't win. I'm sure the client would really have liked to have paid lots of money only to find this out later. This same PM rarely offers a timecode for 'urgent' advice on their projects, you know the type.

I’m looking for input on determining the relatively permanent water (RPW) status of a stream in Houston, Texas.

Note: I’m not comfortable sharing site photographs due to confidentiality concerns. Apologies in advance for my rough site sketch!

Site History and Setting:
The stream in question appears to be a second-order stream that converges with another second-order stream near the corner of a large, dry detention pond. The tributary receiving these streams connects downstream to a creek, which ultimately flows into the Brazos River.

Although the available historical aerial imagery is limited, it appears to show persistent surface water within both the second-order streams and the downstream third-order channel prior to the construction of the detention pond. The pond appears to have been constructed within the historical tributary channel, potentially altering the site's hydrology and the continuity of the downstream drainage network.

There do not appear to have been any major site alterations until approximately 2019–2021, when an off-site detention pond was constructed and pedestrian trails were installed across the streams. The trails appear to include concrete low-water crossings that may also have affected local flow patterns.

April 2024: WDDS
I was not with the company when the original field assessment was conducted, so my understanding is based on the limited photographs available.
The photographs show water within the stream, although it is unclear whether this consisted of isolated pools or continuous flow throughout the channel. The stream was ultimately classified as an RPW.

When I reviewed the Antecedent Precipitation Tool (APT) results for the site visit date, the conditions appeared to be within the normal range, with a score of 14 (15 being the threshold for wetter-than-normal conditions). However, the area was reportedly experiencing drought conditions at the time. For additional context, approximately 2–3 inches of rain had fallen 2–3 days before the field visit.

September 2026: Stream Flagging
My coworker and I returned to the site to flag the stream. At that time, the channel was almost entirely dry, with only one isolated pool of water observed near the culvert at the confluence of the two presumed second-order streams.

The APT results indicated relatively dry antecedent conditions, with a score of 11 (10 being the threshold for drier-than-normal conditions). WebWIMP also indicated extreme drought conditions.
Delineating the stream was difficult because the ordinary high water mark (OHWM) was inconsistent and, in some areas, extremely difficult to identify. Several reaches were densely vegetated with facultative, facultative-wetland, and obligate-wetland species spanning the apparent channel. In some locations, the OHWM was more distinct; in others, it was weak or seemingly absent. Some sections were also extremely narrow, with apparent channel widths of less than one foot.

As both of us are relatively new to environmental consulting, we struggled to determine where to place flags in sections lacking a clearly defined OHWM. We sent several photographs to our supervisor, who expressed some concern about the strength of the RPW determination based on the available evidence. However, other portions of the channel appeared much more consistent with a defined stream.
The primary challenges were the lack of surface water, the inconsistent OHWM, and the difficulty distinguishing the channel from the surrounding wetland vegetation.

Following this visit, we submitted a proposal to the client for a wetland delineation, which was approved.

October 2026: Wetland Delineation
During our most recent site visit last Friday, we observed substantially more water in the channel than we had in September. Approximately four inches of rain had fallen about a week before the visit, and Houston had entered its wetter season. I have not yet reviewed the APT results for this visit, so I cannot confirm the antecedent precipitation conditions.
I brought a more experienced coworker to assist with the delineation. Our approach was to identify the densely vegetated areas that appeared to meet wetland criteria as wetlands and delineate the portions with standing or flowing water and a discernible OHWM as stream channels.

However, some sections remained extremely narrow and had only a weakly defined OHWM, making the wetland-versus-stream distinction challenging. We did our best to evaluate each reach based on the field indicators present.

Based on the site observations, I am reasonably confident that the channel functions as an intermittent stream. However, I am still uncertain whether it meets the criteria for an RPW, particularly given the variability in surface water, the inconsistent OHWM, and the potential hydrologic alterations associated with the detention pond and low-water crossings.

Main Questions and Areas of Uncertainty

1. RPW determination under variable hydrologic conditions
   The stream has been observed under substantially different conditions across the three site visits: water was documented in April 2024, the channel was almost entirely dry during the September 2026 visit, and intermittent standing or flowing water was present during the October 2026 visit.

Although the October visit showed water in a substantial portion of the channel, I have not yet quantified the percentage of the reach containing water. I am also unsure how much weight to give the previous RPW determination, given the limited supporting documentation and the apparent influence of recent rainfall.

How would you evaluate RPW status in this situation, particularly when the channel appears to function as an intermittent stream but surface water and OHWM indicators vary considerably with hydrologic conditions?

1. Potential interruption of hydrologic connectivity at the detention pond
   My biggest question concerns the large, dry detention pond constructed within what appears to have historically been an RPW.

The pond does not appear to retain water under the conditions observed, aside from a small amount of water near the culvert that connects to the upstream stream network. Despite recent rainfall, I did not observe an obvious continuous surface-water connection through the pond. In portions of the area, there was also no clearly defined OHWM or visible channel.

Could the detention pond constitute a break in the hydrologic connection between the upstream stream and the downstream tributary network? If so, how would that affect the RPW determination for the upstream reaches? Would the presence of a culvert, without an apparent continuous channel or surface-water connection, be sufficient to maintain connectivity, or would additional evidence be needed?

I recognize that the absence of surface water during a particular site visit does not necessarily establish that a connection is absent under other flow conditions. I am particularly interested in how the pond's design, drainage features, and historical channel configuration should factor into the assessment.

1. Potential effects of the concrete low-water crossings
   The pedestrian trails cross portions of the stream through what appear to be concrete low-water crossings. I suspect these structures may have altered local flow patterns, potentially contributing to the inconsistent OHWM, narrow channel sections, and differences in surface-water distribution.

How would you evaluate the potential effects of these crossings on channel morphology, flow continuity, and the RPW determination?

1. Distinguishing stream channels from wetlands in heavily vegetated reaches
   In several locations, wetland vegetation spans the apparent channel, and the OHWM is weak or absent. Other portions have a more distinct channel, although some are less than one foot wide.

How would you approach delineating the boundary between a stream and an adjacent or overlapping wetland in these circumstances? Would you rely primarily on geomorphic indicators, hydrology, vegetation, and soil characteristics, or are there additional indicators you would prioritize when evaluating a potentially intermittent stream?

Overall
My current interpretation is that the channel likely functions as an intermittent stream, but I am not yet confident in its RPW status or in the extent to which the detention pond interrupts its hydrologic connection to downstream waters.

I plan to bring these questions to our team meeting tomorrow, but I would appreciate any insight into how others would approach this type of determination, particularly regarding the evidentiary weight of historical aerials, variable field conditions, and mostly the the detention pond.

To clarify, we are not submitting this to the corps, I just need help with the information I have to figure out what to tell our client in the report. In the prewet we said RPW, flagging we said non-RPW, so I’m having a hard time deciding what to say in our WD report.
Also, I understand a lapse in OHWM does not negate jurisdiction. I am mainly focused on the detention pond and whether or not we’d have an argument that that would sever a connection to downstream RPW.

I know this is a long read, so I greatly appreciate any help!

I’m looking at a ground level apartment with the bedroom in the basement, and just found out the site used to be a gas station. Based on the following information, can I safely assume living there won’t pose a major health risk?

The site is listed on GeoTracker Global as a Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) cleanup site (status “Open – Site Assessment”). Underground storage tanks (USTs) were removed and a Voluntary Action Plan (VAP) was initiated during redevelopment (2019–2020). Available public sources do not provide soil, groundwater or indoor-air data
A historical fuel-contamination case: A California State Water Resources Control Board record lists the former Unocal station with a status of “CLOSED CASE,” dated April 17, 1998. The record appears in a historical table of MTBE detections associated with gasoline facilities.
County clearance documented in 2016: City project drawings describe the former gas-station property as cleared of its tanks and having received “County clean site clearance.” I have not independently obtained the underlying clearance letter.
The later apartment project received city approval: The City’s planning records document the approval process for the 26-residence mixed-use development, including an environmental determination in 2020.

I‘m working at one of the bigger engineering/ consulting firms and our salary raise discussions are coming up within the next month or so. I’m curious what I should expect and/ or what number I should ballpark in case I need to negotiate

I‘m also right on the cusp of being promoted to the next level in the series, so that could go either way. What % increase should I expect? (with or without moving up to the next level)

My company is pushing us to use Copilot. Has anyone here used it, or another AI tool, to draft a whole Phase II, RI report, or similar regulatory report?

I’ve used it to clean up wording, but haven’t tried giving it a template, field notes, lab data, etc. and having it write the report. Curious if anyone’s gotten that to work well.

Does it actually save time, or do you end up spending just as long checking everything and fixing it? Would be interested to hear how people are using it beyond emails and rewording paragraphs

i just got hired at a big firm. i have no consulting experience (i came from technical services) but i have lots of experience with project management and technical writing/compliance tracking/CAPA etc. and a little bit of environmental work.
how the hell do i convince people to take me on a project?
im still new but it seems impossible and everyone has told me to just be patient? but what do you do when you’ve already used up all your contacts? just wait around and edit internal stuff? also trying to hype up your skills while not trying to oversell what you can do is crazy.
idk if i’m made for this lol

Rant incoming:

Its seems so refreshing to find someone in consulting who is willing to go above mediocrity for the environment, but it's so far and few inbetween. Its always "Well, we have a permit to do X amount of damage so we won't put in any extra effort in to mitigate anymore than that", or "We're just out to make money so we'll execute this project that is obviously going to harm the environment permanently." And nobody bats an eye. I guess not everyone values the environment as much as they value getting a pat on the head from the client. Sure, there are a lot of projects that are doing a lot of good for the environment and that's great 👍, but even some projects that seem like they are doing a lot of good aren't doing as much as they could.

Too often i feel so alone in this feeling. Most of the people I work with just look at me like I have two heads when I say things like, "let's put grout cuttings in a bin instead of on the ground." This is a small example, but it seems like I'm constantly fighting ethical battles and no matter what I say, the corporate robots just rehearse their script in defense.

Nobody is ever taking responsibility for the decisions they are making and they are never looking at the full picture. They're never thinking, "how is this going to affect this community in the future (whether that be people or animals or whatever)." Or if they do, they justify it by saying it won't cause THAT MUCH harm. Why don't we strive to cause as little harm as possible? We should strive to have a nice clean environment to live in and enjoy. Why would we just let our responsibilty as humans to steward the environment slip through the cracks until there's nothing left to enjoy?

Even though it's so draining and oftentimes leaves me feeling defeated, I am going to keep doing this work so I can try to lead by example and challenge others to step up and do the same. I may also start blocking off my calendar quarterly (maybe weekly?) for one day to just have a cry (on company time) to grieve our little habitat here on earth which is the most special place in the universe for us.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

is there anyone in here from Aus that can share their experience on moving from consulting to government/ regulator role?

do you find it enjoyable and not boring? my main concern is that it could be repetitive and boring and potentially less pay.

let me know please!! :)

I’ve been saying that I want to get out of consulting basically since I started, and that was almost 8 years ago.

I recently started seriously applying to other jobs, and from what I can tell, my options are to either go regulatory (tough competition, not a lot of job openings), environmental compliance (not an exact 1:1 qualifications match which makes interviewing difficult), or just stay in consulting and find a new company and deal with the same bull 💩.

I’ve had a few phone screenings for some environmental compliance positions, but never made it further than that. I also interviewed for a regulatory position and didn’t get it.

My question is, are there any other job titles out there that someone with 8 years of environmental consulting experience (sampling/drilling, project management, writing reports, etc.) could be applying for? Not sure how I feel about going the environmental health & safety (EHS) route, but definitely have submitted some applications.

Just desperate to get out and want to make sure I’m not missing any key job titles that I could be applying for!

I’ve been at my small firm a little over a year and overall, it’s been quite a mixed experience. I’ve had super slow weeks with no work versus back to back field work and reports. I recently got a unique opportunity to work for a bigger engineering firm doing essentially the same tasks for $15k more annually and the opportunity to work fully remote. I dont love the idea of leaving after just a year, but with the way the economy is right now, I am highly considering switching so I can afford living comfortably

Hey everyone. I’ve just started a small environmental consulting business in Texas and had questions about how people win Phase I and II ESA jobs outside of the regular relationship-based selling. I’m just getting started and can’t go after certain clients yet (waiting on those non-compete agreements to expire). Im on four boards: Thirdparties.com, Due5, Blue 222, and fastphase1.com. I’ve gotten some projects on Blue 222 for site inspections only, which are fine if there is sufficient volume, but haven’t seen precious few opportunities on the other sites.

Let me know if you’ve used these platforms with any success or if you’ve had good experiences on other platforms/boards.

I find that every week, no matter how scheduled out my hours are, I have a ton of extra time. I avoided billing to clients because, well, I wasn’t doing work on their projects, so it felt wrong to bill to them. I was billing hours to overhead because I’d spend time brushing up on policies or even just my company’s procedures.

I was confronted and told not to bill to overhead unless absolutely necessary… I was basically told to do tasks that are adjacent enough to the projects we have right now that I can bill to them. This feels really wrong to me, so instead I’ve found myself taking as long as possible with each task just to fill up my hours, which also feels really wrong.

I have no idea what to do, but I think I’m looking to see if anyone else has a similar experience, or maybe this is as batshit crazy as it feels. Any advice or opinions would be helpful! TYIA

Hey gang, wondering if any of you have pivoted into a career in urban or community planning ? I'm not entirely ruling out a non-consulting environmental job but unfortunately they are just so hard to get into/retain (I am a veg specialist in Alberta). I've been considering a couple of healthcare programs (X-ray, nursing, respiratory therapy), but the cost/time commitment to get in is pretty huge for me and for not that much money (or more shift work). Urban/regional planning seems a more natural shift from environmental and with a lot more public sector jobs that use skills I already enjoy in my day to day (GIS, writing, data manipulation/analysis) + 9-5, but I am worried there's more of what I'm already sick of ahead of me (demoralizing/damaging projects, project management, tight budgets and timesheets if I'm stuck in private sector). I am also maybe a bit allergic to the budgeting/scoping element but maybe I could stomach it if it wasn't so tight... I also really just wanna interact with people more in any sort of actual workplace (I am in MS teams e-vortex all day and would kill for a cubicle and a water cooler), and it seems like it's not as remote work dominated of a field.

Hoping to hear from folks who've made the switch or attempted it, how they found it etc. Also if you're sounding similar to me and have made alternative moves that worked out lmk!! I'm moodboarding!!

Sorry if redundant, feel free to link me to relevant threads if you know them!

This is the most disheartening and hands down the worse employment experience and beginning or intro into the Enviromental Industry It is not a stepping stone or path way to gain industry experience or whatever they tell you. I really what to stop this because its down right hurting people.

And i'll tell you why. Let me start with recruiters will lie and promise or ovepromise this and that. Such as "were busy and there tons of work". "You'll make $2,000 a week" "you'll be on the road for months at a time making big bucks" these are all lies and the office is very good at stringing everyone a long to keep them. I'lll share below

Work is always dependent on Emergency response and if Onterris needs someone in another department. The cross utilization thing or being loaned out to other departments boils done to favoritism and more favored people aren't available. This is what I was told to my face and what i've seen from managments decision making.

You rarely get any adequate amount of work and most people go months without it some can easily go a year or more without work. Until they decide they have no one left and then they'll throw you out in the field. There are times will employees will go months without work because there simply work at times.

its lots of favoritism and getting any work is a blessing. A Blessing! Most people quit the company within under a year because of it.

Your part time/temp worker on a review system and thats another huge problem the full-timers, consultants enviromental scientist, PMs all use it to their advantage. They play favorites with who they want to work with. Such as family, and best friends. You even get removed randomly from projects so someone else can take your place that is the office favorite. The review system also creates tattle-tale culture. Where everyone is after everyone to get work. Where the smalliest and pettiest mistakes become blown out of proportion and into the largest that will ruin you and i've seen it all. No one can be trusted and other employees will make up lies and rumours just to get more work. I'm talking other part-timers will walk up to management and flat out lie. Its so mrntal or pshychotic at times. Everyone will know your bussiness within a day. Im not joking.

Working as a enviromental specialist is being in High School with all the popularity and toxic culture and people.

I’m really hoping for some guidance or perspective. Honestly, maybe I even need to just rant.

I only have two years of environmental consulting experience, but I was promoted fast due to employee turnover, learning quickly, and earning the “high performer” designation. I’ve received an award for my division. I’m proud of how far I’ve come, but my job has made me miserable.

Despite having the second-lowest title, I’m doing PM work, handling fucked up situations, training new hires, fieldwork, reports, emails, proposals, networking, budgets, and schedules. I’m also expected to rebuild a service line with basically no support, no clear SOPs, and no control over hiring. My company is so disorganized. For my service line, I don’t have any in-office support.

I miss being just a field person in this industry. Now I feel like being good at my job just gets me rewarded with more responsibility and stress.
I’m seriously considering leaving. I have a great opportunity to continue to fast track my career and make good money if I stay, but I’m living in a constant cycle of anxiety, dread, and stress.

I think I’m actually compensated very well for only 2 years of experience. The issue is I don’t think I’m compensated well for the responsibility and expectations that were literally forced on me.

Has anyone else been through this? How do you set boundaries when your company keeps rewarding you with more work? At what point is the career opportunity not worth the cost?

I need advice please. I started out absolutely loving my role as a staff environmental engineer. I love field work, and I had a pretty good rotation set up with a good mix of being in the field for a few days then getting to work from the office/home writing reports. Fast forward 5 years, I am now a senior staff engineer, being pushed out of field work and into a project management role. The pay bumps are great, but I'm absolutely miserable. Every part of the project management process is a nightmare for me, I hate just sitting at my desk all day approving time and sending emails. It doesn't make sense and I'm not getting to do the work I love. Not to mention, there's a lot of enviro field work/projects I haven't ever worked on, so I feel like such an imposter. I've never seen a UST removal, never done any remediation work, and don't feel ready to be a project manager. I honestly don't know if I'll ever want to be one.

I've tried telling my bosses I want more enviro field work experience, and I don't want to leave the field, but they just keep pushing me into management. Has anyone ever been in a similar position, just looking for any advice. I've felt so burnt out the past few months dealing with this..idk what to do.

Three months into my field tech job at a big name environmental firm and I want to leave. Overworked, paid like shit, get no respect from PM’s, no work life balance, not even utilizing my degree, and am pissed off.

Is this a universal first job experience?

I desperately see myself in the public sector (city, county, state). How soon is too soon to start jumping ship (or at least trying to)?

I’m curious what drug testing policies look like in consulting these days, particularly in states where recreational cannabis is legal.

I know some states like Washington have passed laws limiting employers’ ability to disqualify applicants based solely on off duty cannabis use for certain positions. However, consulting roles are often still considered to be safety sensitive.

For those working in the industry, do your companies still include THC in pre-employment drug screens? Are employees subject to random testing, or is testing generally limited to post-incident or reasonable suspicion situations? Does the policy differ between office based and field based employees? Is there a difference between smaller and larger firms’ policies? Have you noticed your company’s policies becoming more relaxed around THC over the past few years?

I’m also curious whether people think this will continue to change as federal cannabis policy evolves. Cannabis seems to be becoming increasingly normalized across a lot of industries, and I’ve seen discussions suggesting that some employers are starting to remove THC from pre-employment testing for non safety sensitive positions.

I’m wondering if consulting will eventually move in that direction as well, or if the field component and safety considerations will continue to make the industry more restrictive. It seems like continuing to test for THC could potentially discourage or eliminate otherwise qualified candidates, particularly in states where recreational cannabis is legal and off-duty use is increasingly normalized and common.

Any tips on how to cater a resume towards environmental compliance when you’ve been working in consulting for 7 years?

Started in consulting as every field geologist does (a sample monkey) and the last couple of years have been moving more towards the project management side of things (field coord, reporting, proposals, etc.) and I am DESPERATE to escape the billability and utilization hell.

I’m very intrigued by the compliance side and wondering what aspects/skills of someone who has been in consulting for 7 years should be highlighted or more heavily focused on when it comes to resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

Hello friends. I have a BS in Environmental Science and did Environmental Consulting for a year after I graduated. I obviously hated it as I am here in this sub lol.

I began working at a wastewater treatment plant when I left consulting. It paid the same, except the hours and benefits and requirements of the job were SIGNIFICANTLY better.

I’ve been at it for a few years now and know I found my career. It is human/environmental health, public service, biology and engineering, and very mentally engaging and rewarding. You get to be outside and inside and interact with wildlife often.

I highly encourage burnt out environmentalist to join this career! It’s going thru a big wave of retirements, there is a plant in nearly every city, and our degrees and experience trump 99% of people applying. I had a friend with a biology degree she never used apply to one after I encouraged her and she has been at it for years now as well!!

I am so so happy to answer any and all questions.

I'm a third year biology student with experience in bird research and surveying, and I'm trying to learn more about the environmental consulting industry, particularly the parts around project management, data managements, reporting, staying billable, or anything else that may seem repetitive or unnecessarily time consuming.

What tasks take up more of your time than they should? Are there any processes that feel particularly inefficient or frustrating? How much time do you spend on these?

I’m trying to understand the industry better and would really appreciate hearing from people who actually work in it. I’m interested in potentially developing technology for the industry in the future that will make things easier, but I want to understand the real problems first rather than making assumptions. Feel free to send me a DM or just reply!

Thanks so much!

Hi all, looking for some advice please!

I’ve been an environmental scientist at a small company for just under one year. I enjoy what I do but I really hate where I do it. I won’t get into it too much, but essentially my company is not a good place to work. All of my coworkers quit in the last couple of months because they were fed up and I’ve had to take on all of their jobs with a very slight increase in pay. For reference, I make less than $45,000 with unpaid overtime required in a big city. We had a few new people start and I make less than all of them despite having more experience than and the same degree as them. I am still doing the jobs of everybody who quit on top of training the new people.

I’ve been thinking of quitting for a while now, but they just paid for a couple of certifications for me so that I could replace the people who left. It wasn’t my choice to get certified in those things, but now I feel like I owe them for paying for them. I also want to make sure the new people feel comfortable with their jobs before I leave so that I’m not just throwing them to the wolves. My question is, how long is it courteous to stay at this company before I leave? For reference, I got my certifications and the new people started around the same time - about a month ago. Also, can people please name some good companies to work for in consulting? I need some hope 💔