Case studies : Technical officer (hydrology): Mike Summers

Mike has a BSc Geography from Bath Spa University and works as a hydrology technical officer for the Environment Agency.

I decided to pursue a career in hydrology because it seemed to be a broad and interesting subject, with plenty of challenges and lots of opportunities for problem solving. I wanted a job that was related to the environment and which used the skills and knowledge I’d gained at university; working as a hydrologist at the Environment Agency (EA)  has given me that.

My degree was in geography and I studied predominantly physical geography modules such as fluvial processes, coastal science and climate change. These have proved very useful in my work, giving me a good understanding of catchment dynamics and of topics which relate to the wider work of the Environment Agency. I also developed skills that have been particularly useful, such as using GIS software, techniques for statistically analysing large amounts of data, and communicating clearly both verbally and in writing.

One of the key factors which helped me secure my current job was organising a work placement with an Environment Agency hydrology team during my summer holiday, after the second year of my course. This gave me valuable experience of the projects that the team were working on and also provided me with examples that I could use at interview. These both demonstrated my technical competence and directly related to their work.

I think building up relevant work experience and good examples of university projects can be really beneficial as interviewers often ask you to demonstrate the competencies they’re looking for by describing a range of different examples.

When I first joined the hydrology team my main duties were producing estimates of river flow at ungauged sites, report writing and managing data archives. I’m now involved in more complex work, assessing the impact that proposed new abstractions will have on flow regimes and carrying out Water Framework Directive investigations.

Each hydrological assessment is different and I enjoy the challenge and variety of the work. Typically, I’ll identify factors that are affecting flow at a site (geology, reservoirs, etc), establish what data is available and then, based on these factors, try and select the most appropriate method of estimating flows. The work involves manipulating lots of data in big spreadsheets and working with other specialists (ecologists, hydrogeologists, etc). Most of my time is spent in the office; I’d rather have more days in the field but I do go on some site visits.

I still feel like I’m learning a lot in my current job and I’ve been lucky to have experienced staff around me to answer any questions. Most of my work to date has been on water resources hydrology but I could look to develop my understanding of flooding in the future.

Water is relevant to us all as we use it for drinking, recreation and we see the impacts of flooding. Climate change is predicted to put increased pressure on water resources and increase flood risk and, with these challenges to contend with, I believe hydrology will become an increasingly fascinating and important area of work in the coming years.