Environmental Technician II

Job Summary

Position:
Environmental Technician II (serving both the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) and the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) under the Water Quality Division).
Job Appointment: Full‑Time.

Work Schedule: Monday‑Friday 8 am‑5 pm. Flex schedules available; approximately 25‑30% of field time for BES role and 50‑75% for Water Bureau role.

Work Location: BES – 6543 N Burlington Ave, Portland, OR 97203. Water Bureau – 664 N Tillamook St, Portland, OR 97227.

See the benefits tab for an overview of benefits for this position.
Union Representation: PROTEC
17. View labor agreements here
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The Industrial Permitting Program protects the City’s publicly owned treatment works, ensuring compliance with the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) waste discharge permit and maintaining industrial users’ compliance with Industrial Waste Discharge Permits (IWDPs). The program issues and manages >120 IWDPs and >300 Alternative Discharge Control Mechanisms (ADCMs).

• Manage approximately 25 Industrial Waste Discharge Permits.
• Analyze and review IWDP application materials for permit issuance.
• Conduct thorough inspections of industries, ensuring all areas with waste streams or potential waste streams are evaluated for compliance with permit requirements and City code and rules.
• Draft, issue, and follow up on all enforcement actions to ensure permit compliance.
• Perform data entry and management using the City’s LINKO database.
• Assist with sanitary sewer system incident investigations as assigned.
• Apply basic biological, chemical, and physical principles and your knowledge of industrial processes and wastewater pollutants throughout your work.
• Evaluate wastewater pollutant treatment systems.
• Manage difficult situations with industry representatives in a positive manner.
• Effectively communicate with internal and external customers professionally, including City’s Enforcement, FOG, Laboratory, and Field Operations staff.

Environmental Technician II serves the Water Quality Division, whose core function is to provide safe drinking water and meet all federal and state drinking water regulations. The Technician works within the Water Quality Monitoring team, primarily responsible for collecting water samples and performing field measurements throughout the distribution system and source waters.

• Collect regulatory samples for coliform bacteria and test for chlorine, pH, turbidity, temperature, and conductivity in the water distribution system.
• Test for indicators of nitrification to help optimize tank operations.
• Conduct limnological monitoring from a boat in the Bull Run Reservoirs to support operations and seasonal trend analysis.
• Hike to tributary monitoring stations in the Bull Run Watershed to collect storm event samples.
• Assist with groundwater monitoring in the Columbia South Shore Well Field.
• Calibrate, maintain, and troubleshoot a variety of water quality field instruments.
• Respond to water quality incidents, customer complaints, and conduct special investigations.
• Perform data entry and review within the Laboratory Information Management System.
• Review and improve Standard Operating Procedures, and field sampling Quality Management System documents.

Applicants must describe in their supplemental question responses and résumé how their education, training, work experience, and/or lived experience meet each of the following minimum qualifications:

• Knowledge and experience in one or more of: environmental science, stormwater management, wastewater, drinking water, hydrology, water quality, general biology, microbiology, wildlife biology, fisheries, botany, chemistry, engineering, or statistics.
• Ability to evaluate, analyze, and interpret environmental data and clearly present technical information in oral, written, or other forms.
• Ability to coordinate and/or perform field inspections and/or monitoring using a variety of technical equipment, and interpret and/or record field conditions/data accurately as they relate to natural resources, drinking water, stormwater, and/or sanitary sewer discharge…