Career profile · SOC ESC-5B554CB8

hydrogeologist

Hydrogeologists study the distribution, quality and flow of water in order to keep mine workings free of nuisance water and to ensure an adequate supply of process water. They supply and evaluate information which will protect ground and surface water from contamination.

hydrogeologist hydrogeologists study the distribution, quality and flow of water in order to keep mine workings free of nuisance water and to ensure an adequate supply of process water. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include geographic information systems, geology, manage land resources permits, ensure compliance with environmental legislation, assess impact of industrial activities.

AI exposure
5.0/10
automation risk

Pay in the UK

UK: median £55,518 a year for Physical scientists (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)

UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2114). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)

Pay in India (occupation group)

Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only hydrogeologist, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.

Urban India
₹42,717 a month
Rural India
₹30,424 a month
All India
₹38,466 a month

Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report

Top skills

geographic information systems geology manage land resources permits ensure compliance with environmental legislation assess impact of industrial activities perform water analysis prepare scientific reports create thematic maps address problems critically create GIS reports

What you'd actually do

  • Analyze ecological data about the impact of pollution, erosion, floods, and other environmental problems on bodies of water.
  • Answer technical questions from hydrologists, policymakers, or other customers developing water conservation plans.
  • Apply research findings to minimize the environmental impacts of pollution, waterborne diseases, erosion, or sedimentation.
  • Assist in designing programs to ensure the proper sealing of abandoned wells.
  • Collect water and soil samples to test for physical, chemical, or biological properties, such as pH, oxygen level, temperature, and pollution.
  • Develop computer models for hydrologic predictions.

Tools & technology you'd use

Geographic information system GIS systems Adobe Acrobat hot ESRI ArcGIS software hot Microsoft Access hot Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP hot Microsoft Excel hot Microsoft Office software hot Microsoft Outlook hot Microsoft PowerPoint hot Microsoft Windows hot Microsoft Word hot Datasurge GEOPRO

Frequently asked questions

What does hydrogeologist do?

Hydrogeologists study the distribution, quality and flow of water in order to keep mine workings free of nuisance water and to ensure an adequate supply of process water. They supply and evaluate information which will protect ground and surface water from contamination.

What skills does hydrogeologist need?

The most in-demand skills for this role include geographic information systems, geology, manage land resources permits, ensure compliance with environmental legislation, assess impact of industrial activities, perform water analysis. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Will AI replace hydrogeologist?

Our AI-durability model gives hydrogeologist a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.

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