Qualifications and Pay
To be eligible for an Environmental Services student internship, you must be:
- Enrolled in a trade school training program, college, or university; and
- Located in the Portland metropolitan area during the term of the internship.
Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. We give preference to students studying in a field related to the mission and scope of the Bureau's work.
Environmental Services pays student interns an hourly rate according to your upcoming year in school:
- First year – $18.50
- Sophomore – $19.50
- Junior – $20.50
- Senior and above – $21.50
Both full-time and part-time internships are available. See opportunities below.
How to Apply
Find opportunities and apply for positions starting April 2025 on the City's hiring portal. You may apply to more than one internship; however, you may only accept one position.
Available 2025 Internships
Environmental Services has seven internship opportunities starting in Summer 2025.
Find all City of Portland job and internship opportunities.
Operations & Maintenance
Treatment and Pumping O&M - Maintenance
Do you have a background in electrical or mechanical engineering? Do you like to work individually as well as in a team environment? This may be a great internship position for you!
Position available: 1 part-time or full-time; Full Year
About the team: The Facilities Division is responsible for the assessment, maintenance and repair of all non-process building assets (including mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and automation), as well as understanding as-built drawings, equipment operations and maintenance manuals, and system/equipment safety procedures.
What are the main duties/roles of this internship?
- Assisting with field work performed by Facilities and Engineering staff by taking measurements, confirming as-built drawings, and performing condition assessments from visual observation
- Reviewing red-lined drawings and comparing to drafted as-built drawings (primarily electrical), performing QA/QC, coordinating with the Engineering group, and preparing AutoCAD requests as required
- Participating in team/stakeholder meetings
- Assist in analyzing equipment and their associated Operations and Maintenance Manuals, including organizing and linking manuals to assets (Mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation) in the computerized maintenance management system.
- Review engineering drawings - work with electricians, instrument technicians or maintenance planners to field verify accuracy of drawings, equipment or asset names/labels, equipment part/model numbers, etc., and assist in preparing updates to various maintenance documents such as equipment or system Operations and Maintenance Manuals, Record Drawings, Instrument Data Sheets, and the Treatment Plants Operations and Maintenance Plan.
What can you expect to learn during this internship?
- The concept of Asset Management principles touches on the likelihood of failure, the consequence of failure, and risk assessments of assets
- How to read and interpret as-builts and project design drawings
- Gain an understanding of electrical and mechanical equipment and associated design and documentation
- The value of communication and teamwork
Treatment and Pumping O&M - Operations
Are you self-motivated and like to work both individually and as a part of a team? Do you have an interest in learning about or exploring a career within wastewater operations? You may be a great fit for this internship opportunity!
Positions available: 2 Part-Time; Full Year
About the team: The Special Operations Group is part of the Operations Division at the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant. They are the maintenance arm of Operations as well as filling in for the liquids group as needed.
What are the main duties/roles of this internship?
- Cleaning and maintaining wastewater equipment and facilities
- Help with daily operational duties
- Learn/shadow wastewater operators as they operate the facility
- Participate in safety-related activities and execute the work orders associated with OSHA and onsite safety policy
What can you expect to learn during this internship?
- The wastewater treatment process
- Wastewater treatment equipment and machinery
- Gain knowledge about the Portland collection system and its wastewater pumping stations
- How to work with professional wastewater operators as a team
Treatment and Pumping O&M - Support Services
Do you have an interest in data management and data-driven decision making? Do you have an interest in organizational change management? This may be a great internship opportunity for you!
Position available: 1 Part-time; Summer or Full Year
About the team: This working asset management group oversees the day-to-day management of the Oracle WAM V1 system. The bureau is looking to move to a different technology platform and implement Infor IPS. Currently, this group is focusing on data transition as well as record cleanup and management. This group is in charge of maintaining the existing Oracle WAM system and transitioning into the new Infor IPS system.
What are the main duties/roles of this internship?
- Field data gathering and record management
- Recording data into our WAM System
- Data management and cleanup
- Workflow mapping
- Organizational change management
What can you expect to learn during this internship?
- Hands-on experience in data management of the working asset management system
- Data quality and integrity, as well as the close relationship between organizational work processes and data utilization for decision making
Collection System and Watershed O&M - Collection System O&M
Are you a self-motivated, equity and environmentally conscious individual? Are you enthusiastic about learning new things? Check out this internship opportunity below!
Position available: 1 Part-time; Full Year
About the team: The Maintenance Engineering section of the Collection System division is responsible for overseeing the operation and maintenance of the wastewater and stormwater collection systems to achieve three major goals: prevent and/or reduce the number and impact of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), minimize asset life-cycle costs while providing an acceptable level of service, and sustain the public’s investment in the sewer infrastructure by ensuring that service lives are extended as long as economically feasible.
What are the main duties/roles of this internship?
- Reviewing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) inspections for accuracy of data entry and assembling documentation for engineering asset evaluations of structurally and/or operationally deficient assets
- Assisting with field work performed by engineering staff by taking and recording measurements, performing rudimentary surveys, and conducting condition assessments from visual observation
- Evaluating the condition of stormwater facilities to determine the level of maintenance needed by working with Stormwater Operation and Maintenance (O&M) staff
- Updating the database of CCTV tapes of sewers needing repairs and denoting this in the Bureau’s Hansen database
What can you expect to learn during this internship?
- Become familiar with the activities of an engineering section in the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), including condition assessment of assets, evaluating maintenance options for assets, and evaluating rehabilitation options for assets
- Become familiar with the principles of Asset Management, touching on asset failure modes, likelihood of failure, consequence of failure, and risk assessments of assets
- Work in a team environment and have the opportunity to collaborate with and assist engineers and technicians in the workgroup
Strategy & Integrated Planning
Systems Analysis and Modeling Support
Are you a student currently studying civil engineering, environmental engineering/science, GIS, computer science, or data management? This may be a great internship opportunity for you!
Position available: 1 Part-time; Full Year
About the team: The Systems Analysis and Modeling Support section of the Risk Assessment Division performs engineering/modeling analysis to identify system deficiencies and provide optimal solutions to improve the City’s combined sewer, sanitary sewer, and stormwater systems.
What are the main duties/roles of this internship?
- Technical support for modeling analysis
- Assist modelers/engineers in developing and refining data for various numerical models, including data collection and modification, field investigation, and research
- Construct data/modeling result tables and develop GIS maps for modeling projects
- Query data from existing Bureau and group-wide databases, such as the Hansen System, to support modeling needs
- Manipulate data in various forms for consolidation into the Asset Systems Management data management system
What can you expect to learn during this internship?
- Hydrology and Hydraulics principles and applications
- Data collection and manipulation
- Data quality control and analysis
- Using Excel for data management
- GIS Application
Technical Services
Coordinated Site Assessment
Are you a current student studying environmental science, geology or engineering? Do you like to work outside or have an interest in working in an environmental field? Check out this internship opportunity below!
Position available: 1 Part-time; Full Year
About the team: The Coordinated Site Assessment section of the Environmental Information division completes a wide variety of environmental engineering, Hydrogeology, Hazardous materials and hazardous waste projects. This group is full of technical experts and are a great team!
What are the main duties/roles of this internship?
- Support environmental site assessments
- Interpret, assemble, and tabulate environmental data
- Conduct field/site visits
- Collect environmental information
- Pick up and deliver equipment and environmental samples
- Attend design and construction meetings
What can you expect to learn during this internship?
- How to collect environmental samples
- How to use GIS to create figures
- How to work safely in construction activities
- How to assist staff in management of contaminated media
- How to prepare chains of custody