Environmental Water Quality Assurance and Microbiology Internship

Environmental Water Quality Assurance and Microbiology Internship

Colorado Springs Utilities is excited to announce a summer internship position in the Water Quality Assurance Group. This internship provides the candidate an opportunity to apply environmental stewardship and public service skills in a kinetic outdoors environment where scientific principles meet real world applications. This position is ideal for recent college graduates who are looking for the opportunity to apply their knowledge and developing skillset to the requirements of regulatory driven work.

The chosen applicant will have learning opportunities and experience in the following areas:

• Collection of potable water, wastewater, and raw water samples, and obtaining water quality parameters in the field, proper transportation requirements, sample remittance following chain of custody rules
• Surveillance of potentially pathogenic organisms in drinking water and wastewater
• Fundamental lab procedures in microbiology to support the Total Coliform Rule as well as analytical processes in the field: maintaining equipment and following procedures to ensure compliance driven data integrity
• Environmental ecological principles and how they relate to water quality
• Understanding water and wastewater permitting, compliance, and reporting
• Collaboration with group in responding to water quality issues in the potable system
• Training and maintenance of continuous water chemistry monitors that track the health of overall system
• Opportunity to initiate/collaborate with a research or investigative project regarding source water and/or potable water
• Working in a collaborative laboratory environment to understand how laboratory and non-laboratory processes contribute to the shared goals of the organization

Upon completion of the internship, the selected applicant will have gained knowledge and experience in the application of scientific principles and environmental stewardship with real world public service where methodological skills are not confined to a lab but integrated into the activities of other groups and the community at large. They will also be informed about where Colorado Springs gets its water, how it is treated to state and federal standards, the importance of efficient water and wastewater treatment, and how the role of the laboratory supports these outcomes.

Time Allotment of Focus Areas:

• Field sampling - 60% - Water sampling, field analyses, customer collaboration
• Laboratory work - 15% -  Microbiology lab work
• Other educational outcomes -  25% -  Attending meetings, tours, learning about permitting and compliance, etc.

Who You Are… This position is ideal for students majoring in biology, microbiology, environmental science, chemistry, or a related field wanting to gain hands-on experience in environmental microbiology.

This is a summer into fall position that will run from late May, 2026 to late November, 2026.  For those students still completing their degree, this will require full-time 40 hours per week for the duration of the summer and up to 20 hours per week during the fall and at which point the internship will end in November.  For May 2026 graduates, who are eligible up to 6 months post-graduation, will work full-time 40 hours per week from late May, 2026 to late November, 2026, at which point the internship will end.  This timeframe is during the height of the workload for the microbiology laboratory and the selected intern will get a full experience with workload management, sampling and processing, and analysis and reporting of sample results using our laboratory information management system (LIMS). These duty allotments will be redistributed as the workload changes, as needed.

*This is an on-site, non-remote/non-telecommuting position 
*Hourly rate is dependent on year completed of academic degree, e.g., second year complete, third year complete, etc. 
*Candidates MUST be enrolled in a degree seeking program (Associates/Bachelors/Masters) with a 2.5 GPA and be able to provide documentation if requested.  Enrollment in a certification program does not qualify. 
*As this position is field focused, the selected candidate will spend time out of doors, hiking/climbing/walking to remote locations and be impacted by various weather conditions
*A valid, unrestricted driver's license is required for this role

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS:
-  Exerts 20-50 lbs. of forc