Working Title: Wellhead Protection Hydrologist

Job Class: Hydrologist 3

- Job ID: 97373
- Location: St. Paul
- Telework Eligible: Yes, hybrid
- Full/Part Time: Full-Time
- Regular/Temporary: Unlimited
- Who May Apply: Open to all qualified job seekers. Open to bidders through 11/05/2026.
- Date Posted: 10/30/2026
- Closing Date: 11/19/2026
- Hiring Agency: Health Department
- Division: Environmental Health
- Work Shift/Work Hours: Day Shift, 8:00am - 4:30pm
- Days of Work: Monday - Friday
- Travel Required: Yes - Up to 25% of the time
- Salary Range: $35.30 - $52.35 / hourly; $73,706 - $109,306 / annually
- Bargaining Unit/Union: 214 - MN Association of Qualified Employees (MAPE)
- FLSA Status: Exempt - Professional
- Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities: Yes

The work you'll do is more than just a job. At the State of Minnesota, employees play a critical role in developing policies, providing essential services, and working to improve the well-being and quality of life for all Minnesotans. The State of Minnesota is committed to equity and inclusion, and invests in employees by providing benefits, support resources, and training and development opportunities.

Join a mission-driven team at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and help protect, maintain, and improve the health of all Minnesotans. As a Wellhead Protection Hydrologist in the Source Water Protection (SWP) Unit in Environmental Health, you will ensure public water systems have accurately delineated wellhead protection areas and vulnerability assessments in compliance with state wellhead protection rules.



You will also provide technical leadership by mentoring staff to ensure scientific consistency across the unit and represent MDH in technical forums. In addition, you will provide technical expertise for complex inquiries and projects related to the mitigation of drinking water supply problems as they relate to public health groundwater protection. Further, the successful incumbent will conduct alternate source evaluations, environmental reviews, potential contaminant source inventories, lead or participate in technical studies, and coordinate wellhead protection plan implementation activities, primarily in central Minnesota.

This is an opportunity to apply advanced hydrologic knowledge in a highly impactful role that supports environmental protection and secure drinking water across Minnesota.

Primary Responsibilities

- Ensure current wellhead protection plans exist for all relevant public water supply wells within assigned area, including delineating wellhead protection areas and drinking water supply management areas (DWSMAs) and conducting vulnerability assessments for public water supply wells and DWSMAs, as specified under the State wellhead protection rules.
- Assist public water suppliers with implementation of hydrogeologic aspects of their wellhead protection plans.
- Provide senior-level technical leadership and representation for broader aquifer protection efforts outside of DWSMAs, via efforts such as Groundwater Restoration and Protection Strategies (GRAPS)



and One Watershed, One Plan. Maintain familiarity with, and provide support as appropriate for, Source Water Protection's surface water protection program.
- Respond to inquiries concerning the wellhead protection program and drinking water supply problems as they relate to public health and groundwater protection and perform public outreach functions of the program.
- Assist public water suppliers and other MDH staff in evaluating the suitability of new well sites.

In accordance with HR/LR Policy #1422 Telework, this position is eligible for up to 50% telework for applicants who live in Minnesota or in a bordering state within 50 miles of the assigned work location. The telework policy may exempt employees who live more than 50 miles from their primary work location from the 50% in-office requirement, depending on job requirements, helping the State of Minnesota access top talent across the state.

MDH does not participate in the federal E-Verify program and is unable to sponsor applicants for work visas, including F-1 STEM OPT extensions, and cannot complete Form I-9 or any other documentation requiring employer participation in E-Verify. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application.

Minimum Qualifications

To facilitate proper years of service crediting, please ensure that your resume clearly describes your experience in the areas listed and indicates the beginning and ending month and year for each job held:

- Hydrogeologic site characterization and assessment in fractured bedrock and glacial deposit settings.
- Interpretation of well and borehole recor

📌 Wellhead Protection Hydrologist (St Paul)
🏢 Minnesota Direct Care and Treatment
📍 St Paul