WPP Water Quality Intern - Unpaid

Who We Are:

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) seeks to protect, preserve, and enhance Massachusetts’ environmental resources and create a clean energy future for all residents. Through the stewardship of open spaces, the protection of environmental resources, and the advancement of clean energy, EEA works tirelessly to make Massachusetts a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family.   Our commitment to environmental justice ensures that every resident, regardless of background or location, can live in a safe, clean environment and shares equally in the benefits of the clean energy transition.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is the state agency responsible for ensuring clean air, land, and water. Our work impacts every aspect of people's lives and is critical to the health and wellbeing of our residents and visitors. MassDEP is the lead agency for safe management of toxics and hazardous materials, promotion of waste reduction and recycling, preservation of the state's wetlands and coastal resources, air quality monitoring and pollution reduction, and so much more.

Who We Are as an Employer:

At EEA, we create meaningful, inclusive opportunities that empower our employees to make a real difference in shaping the environmental future of Massachusetts. We foster a workplace culture where diversity is valued, innovation is encouraged, and collaboration thrives. Our employees play a vital role in advancing sustainability, environmental justice, and clean energy solutions, ensuring a positive and lasting impact on Massachusetts and its residents.

Job Description:

The Watershed Planning Program (WPP) in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is a statewide program with a mission to protect, enhance, and restore the quality and value of the waters of the Commonwealth. Together with other MassDEP programs and state environmental agencies, WPP shares in the duty and responsibility to secure the environmental, recreational, and public health benefits of clean water for all people of the Commonwealth. As part of the Clean Water Act (CWA), WPP monitors, assesses, and publishes reports on the conditions of all surface waters in the Commonwealth every two years in the "Integrated List of Waters" (or Integrated Reports) and the 303(d) list.

The waters of the Commonwealth include over 3,000 lakes and ponds that provide residents and visitors with drinking water, blue spaces, recreational opportunities, and natural beauty. These diverse ecosystems range from large drinking water sources, like the Quabbin; famous waterbodies, like Walden Pond; pristine lakes and ponds in fully forested areas; and smaller ponds providing local swimming areas. Given the importance of lakes and ponds for all people in the Commonwealth, WPP is interested in developing a lake and pond database to support current and future WPP initiatives, such as developing a statewide volunteer lake and pond monitoring program, implementing lake and pond categories to improve the assessment of the Aquatic Life Use in accordance to the Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards, highlighting areas in need of future monitoring, and prioritizing the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs).

This project will expand and enhance an existing reference database of lake and pond information built during a prior internship project. Data elements include physical attributes, locational information, available data sources, characteristics, and related metadata. Project objectives for this database expansion are to continue (1) coalescing existing WPP data (e.g., years monitored, existing TMDLs, protection plans, and projects), (2) gathering relevant information from partner agencies and other publicly available resources (e.g., bathometry maps), (3) consolidating modeled data and, where applicable, comparing modeled data to WPP observed data (e.g., modeled maximum depth compared to observed),  (4) summarizing spatial data, and (5) compiling biodiversity data.

Job Duties:

• Aid in determining beneficial lake and pond information for all five WPP Sections.

• Review previous internal and external data, studies, reports, or other publicly available information.

• Extract relevant information from a variety of sources, including spatial datasets.

• Maintain a comprehensive list of sources of information.

•  Review, collate, and summarize information into a tabular database.

• Develop appropriate metadata and other documentation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Basic knowledge of the principles and practices of environmental science.

• Experience gathering and tabulating data from a variety of sources.

• Experience summarizing data into a usable format.

• Ability to work independently and in an organized manner with strong attention to detail.

• Ability to meet deadlines.

• Preferred proficiency with R or ArcGIS, but not required.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel) software.

• Effective communication skills, in writing, in person, over Teams, and on the telephone.

This internship is unpaid and designed to support students or recent graduates seeking practical experience in the field. Interns may be eligible to earn academic credit through their college or university.

Position Information:

• Contracted Student Intern: WPP Water Quality Intern

• Start/End Date: 6/15/2026 - 10/16/2026

• Weekly Hours: 22.5 hours

• Number of Openings: 1 position

   

A cover letter and resume must be submitted as part of the application process and attached “as relevant” to the requisition. 

Qualifications - External

First consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.

 Minimum Requirements: NONE

 Please see the Preferred Qualifications above.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer.  Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law.  Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100%25 of the job requirements.  We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.