The Water Workforce Is Aging Fast & the Next Generation Isn’t Ready

Feb 9
3 min read

Every time you turn on the tap, there’s a team of people whose job it is to make sure what comes out is clean, safe, and flowing. But those workers are getting older, much older. In places like Southern California, water agencies are struggling with a phenomenon the industry calls the “silver tsunami”: a massive wave of retirements hitting water utility workers right when climate change is increasing demand for their expertise.

This isn’t some niche operations problem; it’s an infrastructure crisis disguised as a labor issue. And if we don’t fix it, communities across the U.S. could face service interruptions, higher rates, and a loss of institutional knowledge we literally can’t afford to lose.

What the “Silver Tsunami” Really Means

In the water sector, the median worker is significantly older than the national median, and that’s not a small gap. A watershed report from the EPA found that about one-third of water sector employees will be eligible for retirement within the next decade, leaving massive gaps in everything from treatment plant operation to pipeline maintenance.

At the same time, climate stressors like droughts and extreme storms are pushing agencies to upgrade aging infrastructure and implement new systems, work that requires specialized technical skill sets. But here’s the kicker: many of the people trained to operate those systems are the ones about to hit retirement age, and there aren’t enough young people lined up to take their place.

Why Water Jobs Aren’t on Young People’s Radar

If you asked a classroom of high schoolers what keeps their city running, most would probably say police or firefighters, not water operators or engineers. That lack of awareness is a big part of the workforce gap.

The water sector has traditionally struggled with:

Perception issues — it’s seen as boring, dusty, or low-paying despite competitive salaries and job security.
Training bottlenecks — specialized certifications take years, and not enough programs exist to fast-track new talent.
A widening skills gap — as systems get smarter and more digital, the jobs require both tech literacy and old-school field skills.

When Experience Walks Out the Door

One of the biggest losses in this retirement wave isn’t jobs, it’s institutional knowledge. Many of the outgoing workers know things you can’t easily teach, emergency troubleshooting, local system quirks, legacy equipment work-arounds, and nuances that don’t fit in a manual.

This matters because the water operations world isn’t static. Every system ages differently, and every region faces unique climate challenges. When that experience leaves with a retiree, agencies can struggle to respond quickly to crises.

What Water Agencies Are Trying to Do

Some utilities are embracing creative solutions to build a pipeline of future workers. A standout example highlighted in LAist is the Eastern Municipal Water District’s youth programs, which partner with local schools to train students for real water careers before they graduate.

Other strategies gaining traction nationwide include:

Career & technical education partnerships with schools and community colleges.
Apprenticeship & mentorship programs to transfer knowledge before it walks out the door.
Outreach to nontraditional talent pools like veterans and adult learners.
Investment in digital tools that ease staffing pressure, like automated monitoring and remote operations.

The Stakes Are High & Getting Higher

This isn’t just an employment story; it’s an infrastructure and public-health story. Fewer trained workers mean slower responses to main breaks, longer downtimes at treatment facilities, and a tougher time adapting to climate-stressed water systems. In Texas, researchers warn that workforce shortages could threaten water supply reliability if not addressed.

And it’s not just small towns; megacities like Los Angeles are already struggling to staff wastewater plants essential to future water reuse and sustainability goals.

How We Grow the Next Generation

Addressing the silver tsunami means moving beyond “job posting + wait and see” to strategic, intentional workforce development that starts early. That includes:

Recruiting students before they graduate high school.
Investing in mentorship & succession planning.
Offering competitive pay & clear career pathways.
Showing young people that water careers are dynamic, tech-forward, & impactful.

This wave doesn’t have to overwhelm us, but only if we act now.

Sources

Water agencies grapple with climate change and the ‘silver tsunami’ of an aging workforce — LAist (Feb 9, 2026) Erin Stone: https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/water-agencies-silver-tsunami-aging-workforce

Government & Industry Reports

EPA Water Infrastructure Sector Workforce Overview — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/water-infrastructure-sector-workforce

2024 Interagency Water Workforce Working Group Report to Congress — U.S. EPA: https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/2024-interagency-water-workforce-working-group-report-congress

EPA Water Workforce Development Webinar (June 2025) — U.S. EPA: https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/water-workforce-development-webinar

Broader Context & Analysis

Toward a Strong and Equitable Water Workforce — U.S. Water Alliance (Mar 2024): https://uswateralliance.org/resources/toward-a-strong-and-equitable-water-workforce/

‘Silver Tsunami’ Workforce Challenges for U.S. Water Utilities — Black & Veatch (2024): https://www.bv.com/perspectives/the-silver-tsunami-surging-retirements-stoke-workplace-challenges-for-u-s-water-utilities

Silver Tsunami of Retirements Leading to Water Sector Worker Shortages — Circle of Blue (Oct 1, 2024): https://www.circleofblue.org/2024/fresh-great-lakes/fresh-october-1-2024-silver-tsunami-of-retirements-leading-to-water-sector-worker-shortages/

Renewing the Water Workforce (Brookings) — Brookings Institution: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/water-workforce/