Water Resources Engineer or Hydrologist

BBA Water Consultants

Water Resources
Entry-level water rights consulting: water supply planning, historical use analyses, and technical support for Colorado Water Court.

BBA Water Consultants · Englewood, CO (Salida branch office) · $65,000 – $105,000

Based on a real posting (view original, posted September 2026 (open until filled), accessed November 3, 2026). Postings close. Interview for it anyway.

The role

  • Support clients such as municipalities, water districts, and private owners with day-to-day water operations and water supply planning.
  • Provide technical support for Colorado Water Court cases.
  • Explain technical water concepts clearly to clients, attorneys, and the court.
  • Do analyses like historical consumptive use and water rights administration work.

What they’re looking for

  • A BS and/or MS in engineering, hydrology, or water resources, with 0–5 years of Colorado water resources experience.
  • Strong writing, speaking, and time management skills, and strong Excel skills.
  • Pluses: programming, GIS, and familiarity with Colorado water law and water rights administration.
  • Hydrologists are expected to hold or work toward Professional Hydrologist (PH) certification. Engineers are expected to hold or work toward PE licensure.

Reality check: If you haven’t taken Water Law for Non-Lawyers or something similar, brush up on prior appropriation, and be ready to explain how you’d work toward PH certification.

Know the employer

BBA Water Consultants is a Denver-area firm focused on Colorado water rights, water supply, and Water Court work. Colorado’s prior-appropriation system makes this kind of consulting a large niche, and much of it involves converting water from agricultural to municipal use.

Interview room

Candidate: stop reading here. Everything below is for the panel.

Panelists: open only your own seat. Each seat’s questions were written for this job. Ask one of them, then follow up in your character’s style.

Every round, each panelist draws a mood card. Keep it secret and play it lightly.

Tap to draw. Draw again each round.

Here, you are: Senior hydrologist who has testified as an expert witness in Water Court many times.

Ask one of these:

  1. “A client bought a ranch and wants to change its senior irrigation right to municipal use. Walk me through how you’d approach the historical consumptive use analysis.”
  2. “The ditch’s diversion records have gaps in the 1970s. How do you handle missing data in an analysis that will be cross-examined?”

Then follow up: when they use a buzzword (modeled, analyzed, managed, data-driven), ask “What specifically did you do?” or “How would you know if that was wrong?”

More about Riley

Story. A data feed your team depends on broke again last week, and you’ve been patching it ever since. You’ve been burned by hires who listed “R” and “GIS” on their résumé and then couldn’t clean a messy spreadsheet.

Quirks. Friendly but literal. You ask for numbers (“How many sites? How many years?”) and take notes.

Listen for: specific tools and steps, real QA/QC habits, and honesty about gaps.

Here, you are: Principal of the firm. You manage client billing and keep the firm profitable.

Ask one of these:

  1. “The client has a fixed budget for this case. Halfway through, you realize the analysis will take twice as long as planned. What do you do?”
  2. “Tell me about a time you juggled several clients or projects at once. How did you decide what came first?”

Then follow up: politely interrupt idealistic answers with “That sounds great in a seminar. What’s the version we can deliver by Friday?” If an answer runs past about 90 seconds: “Give me the headline.”

More about Pat

Story. You chair this search committee. Your puppy chewed up a corner of the carpet overnight, so the morning started early, and you have a budget meeting right after this. You love good science that ships on time.

Quirks. You keep an eye on the clock.

Listen for: prioritization, concrete deliverables, and concise answers.

Here, you are: Senior consultant who mentors new staff and handles most client communication.

Ask one of these:

  1. “Explain the prior appropriation system to me like I’m a client who just moved here from Ohio and bought a property with a well.”
  2. “You’ll be supporting expert testimony. Tell me about a time someone challenged your numbers. How did you respond?”

Then follow up: “What would the other person say happened?” or “What did that teach you about how you work?” After each answer, pause for a few seconds before speaking.

More about Morgan

Story. Last week you ran a field day for a group of ninth-graders, and it reminded you how hard it is to explain this work simply. You’ve seen strong scientists struggle because they couldn’t explain their work to a non-scientist or get along with the person at the next desk.

Quirks. Warm, and comfortable with silence.

Listen for: a real story (STAR), empathy, self-awareness, and plain language.

Here, you are: A downstream rancher whose ditch shares the river with your client’s ranch.

Ask one of these:

  1. “If your client moves that water to the city, what happens to the return flows my ditch depends on?”
  2. “You’re being paid by the other side. Why would I trust your numbers?”

Then follow up: say “Huh?” every time they use an acronym or jargon without explaining it.

More about Dale

Story. You’re not on staff. You drove a couple of hours to sit in on this panel because this hire will be working with you.

Quirks. Plainspoken and skeptical, but not hostile. If they actually listen, you warm up.

Listen for: plain language, respect, and whether they ask you questions.

Pods of 3 only. You’re both Riley and Pat. Ask one Seat A question and one Seat B question from this job, and use both follow-ups: “What specifically did you do?” and “What’s the version we can deliver by Friday?”