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Undergraduate and Graduate Internship Program
Expand your career horizons and create a sustainable future in a paid internship with the King County Wastewater Treatment Division.
About the program
Every year, King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) hires a cohort of 10 to 20 full-time undergraduate and graduate summer interns. Summer interns receive paid compensation and serve anywhere from 3 to 6 months until classes resume.
At WTD, our interns work in a variety of disciplines, from treatment plant engineering to community outreach and education. At the end of the summer, interns present their projects and accomplishments to an audience of staff and hiring managers.
Why you’ll love working here
As an intern, you’ll join one of the largest wastewater utilities in the nation working to protect public health and the environment. You’ll create real value for WTD projects, programs, and the agency while gaining job experience, networking opportunities, and learning about our clean water systems.
At WTD, our interns are exposed to careers and opportunities they might not have imagined before. Participants have used their internships to acquire jobs at WTD and throughout King County, their university, and elsewhere in both the public and private sectors.
Monica Dawson
Designer Graduate Intern
Course of Study: Master’s in Construction Management at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Design and Drafting
Role: Assist WTD in creating 3D BIM models of all existing treatment plants and pump stations and gain extensive experience working in AutoCAD.
Ethan Diep
Electrical Engineering Instrumentation and Controls Undergraduate Intern
Course of Study: Bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Engineering Instrumentation and Controls
Role: Update and review piping and instrumentation diagrams and instrumentation loop diagrams for the off-site level controls and communication upgrade program.
Claire Ellerbrook
Environmental Planning Undergraduate Intern
Course of Study: Bachelor's in Biology with minors in Environmental Studies and Spanish at Middlebury College
WTD Team: Environmental Services
Role: Create a habitat enhancement tool to rate sites for potential habitat work, such as native plant installation, stream restoration, and bird or bat boxes. Shadow team members to learn about permitting, mitigation sites, and geographic information systems.
Pravir Goosari
Data Science Undergraduate Intern
Course of Study: Bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Modeling
Role: Redesign the Live and Historical Data Portal, making it accessible to everyone in WTD for easy data gathering and analysis.
Rylee Hafitz
Finance Graduate Intern
Course of Study: Master of Public Administration at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Finance Administration
Role: Explore how WTD’s state and federal loan programs compare to nationwide peers, focusing on capital spending and bond issuance. Support the transfer of historical sewer rate data into a single database.
Opal Heltzel
Plant Engineering Undergraduate Intern
Course of Study: Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering at Purdue University
WTD Team: West Point Treatment Plant Operations and Maintenance
Role: Tackle multiple treatment plant engineering improvement projects and update piping and instrumentation diagram drawings.
Christopher Kleeves
Plant Engineering Undergraduate Intern
Course of Study: Bachelor’s in Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington
WTD Team: West Point Treatment Plant Operations and Maintenance
Role: Correct drawings, create process and instrumentation diagrams (P&ID), and support maintenance projects to ensure the plant runs optimally and safely into the future.
Jesus Lopez
Communications Undergraduate Intern
Course of Study: Bachelor’s in Communication at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Director’s Office
Role: Focus on growing WTD social media channels, especially the newly launched Instagram account, and providing opportunities to develop storytelling skills.
Rosa Mason
Engineering Graduate Intern
Course of Study: Master’s in Civil Engineering, Hydrology and Hydrodynamics, at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Mechanical Engineering
Role: Evaluate and improve pump station efficiency, conduct chlorine testing at off-site facilities, and create a plan to replace critical gates at West Point Treatment Plant.
Amritha Prakash
Data Science Graduate Intern
Course of Study: Master’s in Applied Data Science at Indiana University
WTD Team: Modeling
Role: Redesign the real time and historical data portal to display data from multiple facilities.
Ananya Ranganatha
Construction Management Graduate Intern
Course of Study: Master’s in Construction Engineering and Management at Illinois Institute of Technology
WTD Team: Construction Management
Role: Prepare work order letters for construction projects and research contracts and submittals to understand the different stages of construction.
Sachin Rao
Climate Adaptation Planning Undergraduate Intern
Course of Study: Bachelor’s in Political Science and Environmental Studies at Case Western Reserve University
WTD Team: Climate Adaptation Planning
Role: Compile information on climate adaptation methods for wastewater treatment facilities and their associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Braedyn Reed
Communications Undergraduate Intern
Course of Study: Bachelor’s in Community, Environment, and Planning with a Minor in Leadership at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Workforce Development
Role: Improve onboarding processes, develop communication and relationship-building materials, and create branding materials.
Celeste Wrye
WaterWorks Grant Program Graduate Intern
Course of Study: Master of Public Administration at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Education and Engagement
Role: Manage grant expense forms, reconciliations, and amendments, and develop a program evaluation survey.
Zhixian (Susie) Zhang
Capital Training Program Instruction Design Graduate Intern
Course of Study: Master’s in Communication Digital Media at the University of Washington
WTD Team: Capital Training
Role: Conduct UX research and design a Capital Program Training hub and communication engagement strategy.