Assistant Limnologist - Metropolitan Water District - La Verne, CA - EXPIRED
This is an archive of an expired job.
Job Information:
Company: Metropolitan Water District
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a consortium of twenty-six cities and water districts that provides drinking water to nearly 19 million people in Southern California. Metropolitanís mission is to provide its service area with adequate and reliable supplies of high quality water to meet current and future needs in an environmentally and economically responsible way. Metropolitanís facilities include the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct, five conventional water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 2.6 billion gallons per day, nine surface water reservoirs, 800 miles of pipeline, and 16 hydroelectric power plants. ASSISTANT LIMNOLOGIST
Metropolitanís Water Quality Section within the Water Systems Operations Group has one (1) opening for an Assistant Limnologist available at its Weymouth Water Treatment Plant in La Verne, California.
SUMMARY
This positionís primary duties will be assisting with sampling and monitoring of source waters to meet compliance regulations and collecting data that will be used to make source water management decisions. The source water storage and conveyance facilities include Lake Mathews, Skinner, Castaic, Silverwood, Havasu, Diamond Valley and Perris, as well as, Etiwanda and Live Oak Reservoirs, and all of the interconnecting aqueduct systems. This position will assist in evaluating taste and odor events, conducting copper treatments, sample collection and analysis, and report preparation. High reliance on SCUBA for monitoring and inspection of lakes for water quality purposes is a necessity.
This position requires a wide variety of skills for monitoring and sampling Metropolitanís source water conveyance and storage system, including the use of a variety of hand-held and automated sampling and electronic monitoring devices. The successful candidate for this position must be qualified to perform SCUBA diving for sampling, observation and measurements, and must be able to perform delicate manipulations under water without disruptions to sediments. Fundamental skills include towing, launching and driving a boat, the latter with divers in the water. Much of the work is conducted under adverse conditions outdoors, in and around water, with a frequent requirement to lift containers of water or equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
JOB DUTIES
1. Learns and assists to identify and evaluate the effects of limnological and biological processes on water quality in source water aqueducts and reservoirs.
2. Learns and assists to isolate and identify problematic aquatic organisms to aid in the development of management and treatment strategies.
3. Collects data related to water quality analyses. Learns and assists with analysis and interpretation of water quality data. Assists with preparation of technical reports.
4. Conducts routine limnological, biological, and chemical tests; learns and assists to evaluate data and validate results.
5. Performs and assists in a variety of sample collection activities and techniques in source water aqueducts and reservoirs. May perform SCUBA diving for monitoring water quality issues in lakes and reservoirs.
6. Operates, maintains, and troubleshoots basic laboratory and field equipment and instrumentation.
7. May participate on a project team.
8. Performs other related Limnologist job duties as required. JOB REQUIREMENTS:
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience: Bachelorís degree from an accredited college or university in a related field. (A Degree in a related field is defined as a degree in Biology, Environmental Science or related.)
Required Knowledge of: Limnological, biological and laboratory methods and principles; principles of statistics; laboratory techniques and instrumentation; standard laboratory quality assurance and control requirements; laboratory and field safety protocols; basic water sampling techniques; aquatic organisms; and current office technology and equipment.
Required Skills and Abilities to: Analyze, interpret, and manage data; operate and maintain field and laboratory instruments and equipment; conduct sampling and monitoring; handle boats and trailers; adapt; apply scientific knowledge to assist in resolving technical problems; use culturing, staining, microscopy, and molecular techniques; problem solve; prioritize and multi-task; communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing; establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; work independently and in a team environment; and operate current office equipment including computers and supporting applications.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
Employees in this position may be required to obtain and maintain the following certifications, licensing and registrations:
Certificates
Diving positions require at the time of application:
- Rescue Diver Certification
- Oxygen Provider Certification
- CPR/First Aid/AED
Licenses
- Valid California Class C Driver license or equivalent that allows you to drive in the course of your employment is required at time of application
- May be required to be a licensed/certified SCUBA Diver.
Diving requirements for this position are set forth in the MWD Diver Safety Manual, Section 2.C, as shown below.
Water Quality Scientific Divers
Ratings/Certificates
To qualify for a position as a Scientific Diver, candidates must have logged at least 75 verifiable dives (required within 6 months from date of hire). These dives can be a combination of working dives, recreational dives, and training dives, but must be listed in a signed recreational, commercial or scientific official logbook.
In addition, candidates must have the following certifications:
- Rescue Diver
- Current CPR/First Aid certification
The above requirements can be obtained from any nationally-recognized agency such as National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), SCUBA Diving International (SDI), SCUBA Schools International (SSI), or Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), or the American Heart Association.
Skills and Knowledge
To qualify as a Scientific Diver, candidates must demonstrate that through training and experience they have gained sufficient skills and knowledge of:
- Diving procedures and techniques
- Emergency procedures
- Physiological hazards as they relate to diving and diving equipment
- Open Circuit SCUBA
PHYSICAL DEMANDS, WORK ENVIRONMENT, AND VISION REQUIREMENTS
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met or may be encountered by an employee to successfully perform the job duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the job duties.
Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion such as long periods of standing; walking over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces; recurring bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities; recurring lifting of moderately heavy items such as personal computers and record boxes. The work may require specific, but common, physical characteristics and abilities such as above-average agility and dexterity.
Work Environment: The work involves moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions, e.g., working around moving parts, carts, or machines, or irritant chemicals; etc. Employees may be required to use protective clothing or gear such as masks, gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves, or shields.
Work Schedule: 9/80, Monday through Friday with alternating Fridays off
Job Related Selection Criteria:
- 40% Technical Skills and Knowledge:
o Perform maintenance and calibration on field sampling and monitoring equipment.
o Maintain and trouble-shoot mechanical devices operated by the team.
o Identify aquatic organisms such as algae, invertebrates and vertebrates.
o Conduct selected chemical analyses.
o Proficient use of MS Word, Excel and database software.
o Perform basic statistical analyses on water quality data in order to produce standard reports.
o Participate in SCUBA diving operations.
- 20% Job Preparation (education, experience & training relevant to the position)
- 20% Analytical Skills
- 10% Oral Communication Skills
- 05% Written Communication Skills
- 05% Teamwork/Interpersonal Skills
100% Total
Benefits:
- Competitive compensation
- Excellent medical, dental, life, vision
- Retirement plans, including pension plan and 401k
- Tuition reimbursement
- Training and advancement opportunities
- Excellent working environment
- Public transportation reimbursements and van pools
For more information on MWD benefits, please use the following link: http://www.mwdh2o.com/PDF_Careers/benefits.pdf
This job announcement has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work being performed by employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. To receive a copy of the complete job description, please send an email to [email protected].
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Qualified individuals with disabilities, who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process, please call (213) 217-7738 or email [email protected].
MWD is a Federal and State EO employer - Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories. To apply for this position, please copy and paste the following link into your browser address bar: https://mwdh2o.contacthr.com/62930573
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